


We Found Love (In A Hopeless Place)

by a_dusky_gold



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Another Fantasy AU from me that went WAY out of control, Badly Plotted Politics, Because publicized sex lives?, Brief homophobia, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Gay Smut too obviously, Het and Slash, I don't even know what I'm tagging anymore, Internalized racism, King!Dean, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Marriage of Convenience, Masturbation, Political Alliances, Princess!Eileen, So... Exhibitionism too? But Not Really, Some DubCon I guess?, Sorcerer!Castiel, Sorceress!Eileen, het smut, prince!Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-14 23:05:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13600332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_dusky_gold/pseuds/a_dusky_gold
Summary: Royal Arranged Marriage AU! When Alistair of Demoin demands a political alliance in exchange for a peace treaty after the long war between their two countries, Prince Sam of Eria reluctantly agrees to marry his youngest daughter. Sam knows that his new wife is probably an assassin sent by their enemy to make a play for his brother and brother-in-law's throne, since he's the declared heir. Whatever he's expecting her to be though, a very beautiful, very powerful sorceress is not it.Eileen Leahy knows that the only way to stop her uncle from persecuting the rest of her kind is to give in to his demands. So she agrees to marry Sam Winchester to ensure that the rest of the sorcerers in Demoin get the chance to live free lives. But Eria is strangely welcoming, and Sam presents a six-feet wrench in her plans to keep her people safe.No one told them that falling in love with your spouse would be so hard, but then, fate is funny that way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOOT. Saileen Big Bang, and this was so much fun to write!!! Thanks to [ Dreym ](http://dreymart.tumblr.com/), who has been absolutely patient and brilliant while I procrastinated and dragged this fic out longer than ever! Check out the [ Art Masterpost ](http://dreymart.tumblr.com/post/170616915994/here-it-isssss-first-colored-illustration-of-sam)!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note - This is my first time writing a deaf character and I've tried to keep it as authentic as I could and I've tagged for ableism as well, just in case. But if I've screwed up royally (ha!), if there's anything wrong/stereotypical/ableist in my depiction of Eileen, please PM on [ Tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dusky-gold), and I'll work to fix it! :) Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

"Sammy, you don't have to do this."

Sam snorted as he turned to his brother with a tired shrug. "Yeah, Dean, I do," he said.

"This is your whole life we're talkin' about here, you can't just gamble it away!"

"Do we have another option?" Sam demanded. "Is Alistair willing to compromise?"

Dean's jaw clenched and he exhaled in a slow, irritated manner. "You know why he's doing this, right?" he snapped. "He wants to back us into a corner, Sam, you can't-" he broke off and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"He _has_ backed us into a corner, Dean," Sam answered. "Our people are suffering. Winter's coming and you remember what Benny reported about the uneasiness in the villages. We can't afford to lose anymore ground."

"Still don't mean you gotta give up your whole life," Dean muttered.

"How can we ask the people to trust us if we aren't willing to make a few sacrifices for them?" Sam pointed out. "I'm not stupid, Dean, I know exactly why Alistair wants me to marry his daughter. But if this is the only way to secure a treaty with him and his kingdom, then we do it."

"And what about Jess?"

Sam's eyes narrowed at his brother. "Jess and I... you never liked her anyway."

"I like her better than whatever simpering princess that asshole is sending your way," Dean scowled.

Swallowing past the tightness in his throat, Sam shook his head. "Jess and I are over," he said shortly.

"And so you marry this girl, we make friendly with the dicks from Demoin, and then what? You live happily ever after with your new wife?"

Sam shrugged again. "Pretty much, yeah."

"And then she stabs you in your sleep and gets her kids to take over Eria, nice plan Sammy," Dean scowled.

"Do _you_ have a better idea?" Sam finally snapped. Goddamit, it wasn't like he _wanted_ to marry this princess. "Our crop's failing, our armies are tired and winter's coming, Dean! I marry that girl, she brings her dowry with her, and we have enough to get our people through this year. And then we deal with whatever comes after - we don't have that luxury right now!"

"This is all my fault," Dean turned away abruptly, shoulders sagging. "If Cas and I hadn't announced our marriage, if I wasn't..."

"Don't do that," Sam interrupted his pity-party. "Don't you dare. You went through hell to convince everyone your relationship was legitimate, Dean, don't you dare throw that away now."

"Cas and I are the reason Alistair backin' us into this corner, Sam," Dean said. "You're the heir to the throne only because _we_ can't have kids."

"How do you think Cas feels right now?" Sam asked softly. "He refused to marry you for years for that very reason. You can't blame yourself, Dean, if not for you, then at least for his sake. It'll ruin your relationship like Mom and Dad's."

Dean barked out an ugly laugh. "He's already been driving himself nuts," he said. "He took charge of the tenth regiment on the border because he needs to prove that he's still useful, even if we can't... I haven't seen him in days."

"Which is why we _have_ to take this deal," Sam insisted. "You're king, Dean. I’m the prince and your heir. Our people have to come first."

Silence fell between them for a long moment before Dean finally sighed. "You're right," he agreed. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Sam offered him a wan smile. "Neither do I."

*-*-*

_Eileen Leahy._

Sam repeated the name to himself, rolling the syllables around with his tongue. He lay in bed, arms thrown over his head and staring up at his ceiling, mind carefully blank, when the knock boomed across his chambers.

"Coming," he called, throwing long legs over the side of his bed. He wasn't surprised at the small, redheaded figure that pushed past him when he opened the door, but he did step back in confusion as the blonde elbowed her way into his room.

"Jo?" he asked, "When did you get back?"

Charlie scowled at him from where she'd plopped herself on his bed. "As soon as I sent word that you were being a complete and utter idiot," she snapped.

Sam sighed. "Guys, I'm-"

"A self-sacrificing fucking moron, we know," Jo interrupted, "Just like your stupid brother."

"Can I at least get a hug before you start reaming me?" he said.

Jo glared at him for a long, doleful moment, before throwing her arms around him. He lifted her off her feet and swung her around, swallowing tightly at the soft whisper of _idiot_ in his ears before setting her down next to her wife.

"You don't have to do this, you know," she said.

"How was the border?" he asked, sidestepping her unasked question. "Cas back too?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around Charlie's waist, who leaned her head against her shoulder.

"Yeah," she said. "Dean asked for him. Can't exactly go to a negotiation without the Prince Consort, can he?"

"And he was okay with that?" Sam raised an eyebrow. His brother-in-law took his position as Army General seriously - a bit too seriously, in Sam's opinion.

Jo snorted. "Of course he wasn't," she said. "Wanted me to take charge of the regiment, but the Prime Minister can't go to a negotiation alone either," she nudged Charlie who shrugged unapologetically, "So I convinced him to leave Rachel in charge and dragged him back."

Silence fell between them as Sam moved to sit behind them on the bed. He grunted as Jo climbed over him, tucking herself into his right side to rest her head on his chest. Charlie mirrored her wife's movements, cuddling into his other side, and for a long while, the three of them just lay there quietly, comfortable with each other the way only three people who'd grown up together could be.

"You're sure about this?" Charlie finally whispered.

The smile felt bitter on Sam's lips but he nodded anyway. "We don't really have a choice, do we?" he muttered.

"You know Cas will try to stop you," Jo warned. "As soon as he and Dean are done fucking like bunnies - don't make that face, you know that's what they're up to right now - he's gonna march in here and demand that you stop this stupidity."

"And he's the exact reason I won't," Sam retorted. "Both he and Dean have given up enough. It's my turn now."

"Yes, because sacrifice and manpain is Winchester code for I-love-you," Charlie grumbled.

"You got any other ideas?" Sam demanded.

That shut them both up and it was mean as hell, but Sam couldn't help the bitter laugh that bubbled in his throat at the sight of Jo's suspiciously bright eyes. "Look, guys," he began, fumbling, "You're all acting like I want to do this… like I _want_ to marry this Eileen Leahy or whoever she is. I don't. But Red," he squeezed Charlie's shoulder, "You're the Prime Minister. You've seen how the war's affected the common-folk and how little we have to get us across the winter." He raised an eyebrow at his cousin, "Jo, you're the Lieutenant General of the army. You’ve seen how many soldiers we’ve lost and how many families have been destroyed over the past two years. We can’t keep this up anymore.”

“So yeah,” he sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair, “If I have a chance to stop this… if I can help Cas and Dean make sure the throne is secure, then I’m taking that chance.”

Neither Charlie nor Jo could protest that.

“Then you ain’t doing this alone,” Jo said. “We’re gonna be there with you every step of the way.”

Sam smiled at her. “What do you think is keepin’ me goin’ at this point?”

Charlie leaned up to kiss his cheek softly. “You’re such a fucking idiot,” she sighed. “You _and_ your brother.”

“It runs in the family,” he joked. Both girls grinned and whacked his arm in unison, making him _oomph_ in protest.

But if he held them both a bit too tightly that night as they had their routine return-home-from-long-time-away-sleepover, then neither Jo nor Charlie mentioned it. They only held him back just as tightly.

*-*-*

As predicted, Cas cornered him the very next morning, striding into the library where Sam was studying up on Demoin history with angry purpose. Unlike Charlie and Jo - or even Dean, for that matter - Cas didn't beat around the bush or ask him if he was sure about this.

"I'm sorry, Sam," he said instead, his features arranged in an apologetic expression. "You're... this is all because of me, because I'm male-"

"Cas," Sam murmured softly, reaching out to squeeze his brother-in-law's shoulder. "It's okay."

"You're in love with Jessica," he pointed out in a quiet whisper. "You've been in love with her for years."

Sam offered him a sad smile and shrugged. "But I can't give her what she wants," he said. "I won't force her into being someone she's not. She doesn't want to live in the castle or be the Princess Consort and I can't abandon my role as Dean's heir. So this... this is how it is."

Cas tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the younger Winchester. "You're giving up," he said slowly, realization coloring his tone a dark, rough timbre. "You think because you and Jess can't make it, you're not going to find anyone else."

Sam turned away; this was why he'd wanted to avoid confrontation with his brother-in-law. Where Dean just yelled, where Charlie and Jo smothered him with cuddles and hugs, Cas dived straight into the root of the problem. He didn't stand on performance.

"Sam, you can't just throw away your whole life. Dean and I can find another solution to this."

"You and Dean have done enough," he said. "I'm not stupid, Cas, I know what I'm signing up for. I just... Jess and I didn't work out. And this is what we gotta do to protect everyone. It ain't so bad."

He didn't know if he was trying to convince Cas or himself, but the general simply sighed and shook his head.

"I won't insult you by asking if you're certain," he muttered. "But I will warn you - Demoin are a hard people. Your future wife may not be as sweet as Jessica."

"I'm aware," Sam told him. "I've been studying." He threw a pointed glance at the books and scrolls littering the table he'd been sitting at.

"No, Sam," Cas said. "It's not as simple as reading about them or learning their history. To understand them, you must understand their internal politics first."

"So tell me," Sam challenged. "What exactly am I getting myself into? I've been to the negotiations, Cas, I've seen how hard Alistair and his men are."

"Culturally," Cas said, settling into the chair opposite him. "They're not very different from us. Demoin and Eria share enough of a common ancestry that many of our customs and practices are very similar. However," Cas's voice took on a warning tone, "For the past two or three generations, there's been internal conflict within the royal family of Demoin."

"Yeah," Sam said, frowning. "Isn't Alistair the previous king's cousin? And he was the younger brother of the queen apparent, wasn't he?"

"Indeed," Cas nodded. "But the conflict wasn't as simple as a fight for the throne. Rumor is that the royal family is split over the issue of using magic. You've seen Alistair's reaction to my powers."

Sam winced at the memory; despite being the general of Eria's army, Dean's Prince Consort _and_ the Court Sorcerer, Alistair had either completely ignored him or exoticized him to the extent that Dean had had a migraine from the way he'd kept his jaw clenched through the whole session.

"Magic runs through the bloodlines of far too few people already," Cas sighed. "If my sources are correct, then those on Alistair's side would hang every sorcerer in the country."

The rough scrape of his chair echoed across the silence of the library as he stood up.

"That's what you're signing up for, Sam," he said quietly. "Either a woman who's been brainwashed into believing that all sorcerers are inherently evil or a woman who hides her own powers for the sake of her safety. I'm not sure which one this Eileen Leahy is, but I pray - for all our sakes - that it is the latter."

Before Sam could work up a response, his brother-in-law strode out, his long navy robe billowing behind him.

*-*-*

The final round of negotiations took place about about a week later. Sam, in his seat right behind Cas and Dean, discretely craned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of all the women sitting around in Alistair's party. There were precious few of them, he noticed sourly; they seemed to be dwindling in number each time the Demoin group came over, and unlike Eria's 50-50 cabinet of ministers and officials, there was no woman in a major position of power, except for Queen Lilith.

"Dean, Dean, Dean," Alistair's silky voice cut through Sam's reverie. "I'm sending my precious little girl to your home already. The least we can do for her is honor our customs and have the wedding ceremony be performed in our style."

Sam's neck prickled. Whoever she was, Eileen Leahy wasn't anything more than a bargaining chip - did she even _consent_ to this marriage?

"She ain't a thing to be given away, Alistair," Dean retorted, his fists clenched.

Sam watched, heart both heavy and light as Cas reached across under the table to clasp his hands and twine their fingers together. He was glad his brother had found happiness, but it didn't look like he was going to have anything like that with his wife. Blinking away the sudden hot wetness in his eyes, he forced himself back into the conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Charlie grit her teeth in anger, speaking up in a fierce voice.

"Has she consented?" the redhead demanded. "To this alliance? We may be considering a marriage for political reasons, _Your Highness_ ," she spat out the title as though it was an insult, "But that doesn't mean either our prince or your princess has to lose their agency."

"You're certainly spirit young lass, aren't you?" Alistair chuckled. Sam's own teeth began to grind - no one insulted Charlie and got away with it.

"Well, my dear," the oily king of Demoin reached behind him  with a flourish and yanked his wife forward. "Lilith, my dear, would you read to this audience what our lovely Eileen wrote to us this week?"

"Of course, my darling," Lilith smiled, flashing white teeth at all of them. Her face reminded Sam of the angry sharks he'd been reading about, the ones that fed on human flesh after tearing apart their victims. Clearing her throat, she began.

_"My dearest Mother and Father,_

_I miss you both very much. Demoin is not the same without your presence. I am glad to hear that the battle goes well, Father. Please do take care of yourself on the battlefield and and return home to us, safe and sound._

_Astaroth told me about the political alliance you have proposed with King Dean and his brother. I must confess, I know very little about Eria or her customs, but if you think that this alliance will secure our peoples together, then, I will of course accept Prince Sam's hand in marriage and bear him children that will unite our two homes._

_Mother, you will be happy to know that I have been practicing my sewing and embroidery work as well. I have sent you a few of the pieces I made with this letter, I hope you enjoy them._

_Please look after yourselves and do not worry too much about,_

_Your dutiful daughter,_

_Eileen."_

Sam swallowed past the sudden tightness in his throat. Across him, Jo was scowling and Charlie practically snarling at Alistair. Dean's fists were twitching against the scabbard of his sword under the desk. Even Cas's usually impassive face was stormy.

This was Alistair's daughter - his future wife. There was nothing in the letter itself, of course, that was wrong, except that yes, _everything_ about it rubbed him the wrong way. Sam had nothing against women who chose to be home-bound instead of on the field like Charlie or Jo were - he and Dean had been raised by Ellen, after all, who ran a tight ship in the castle -  but it wasn't just that... it was the way Eileen's spirit seemed to have been subsumed under the weight of what Alistair and Lilith deemed appropriate.

She was clearly a pawn in a much larger game.

The small, quiet dream Sam had been nursing - of possibly trusting her, of being her friend at the very least - vanished. He didn't think he was going to fall in love again, not after Jess, but he had hoped that he and Eileen could've had a comfortable if not a happy marriage.

And now, he was going to have to be on his guard every minute of the day.

Because Sam would be damned if Eileen Leahy was going to hurt his people or his brother's claim to the throne.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The same thought occurred to Sam, less than three weeks later, with renewed, fierce conviction. He was standing on the altar, waiting for his bride to show up, staring out at the hundreds of thousands of guests watching them like they were some sort of spectacle. It was easy for him to pick out who were Erians and who were Demoin; the former eyed the latter uneasily, even as the foreigners stood with stiff smiles on their faces.

It hadn't always been like this.

Sam remembered a time, less than two decades ago, when Demoin and Eria were still allies. They weren't friends necessarily, but they had been allies, in trade, in war and in wealth. Even now, a number of Demoin peoples lived scattered across their land, though tehy were far and few in number. It wasn't until Alistair rose to power that their relationship had fallen apart. John may have been the one to declare war against their neighbors, but it was the Demoin king who had sent the assassin who'd taken his mother's life. 

And now, the same man was sending his daughter to be Sam's wife.

No wonder Dean and everyone else believed that Alistair was trying to redo history.

 _Never again,_ Sam vowed silently, _even as the doors swung open. No Demoin would ever hurt an Erian again._

He forced himself to relax and breathe out slowly, watching the young woman walk towards him with a bouquet in her hands. She was small, her face covered by the veil that Alistair had insisted they not remove throughout the ceremony, citing Demoin custom. Dark, wavy hair flowed down from underneath the sheer veil and Sam's fingers twitched in response to the soft violin that announced her arrival next to him.

He held out his hand when she slowed to a stop. She started, moving back as though she hadn't expected that. After a moment's hesitation, she handed the bouquet in her hand to the young squire standing behind her, who took it and scapered off to where Ellen and Bobby were seated. A second later, long, delicate fingers, slightly chilled but sure, wrapped themselves around Sam's palm and he tightened his grip around them.

Together, they turned to Joshua, who was standing behind them in his ceremonial priest robes.

"Dearly beloved," he began without any prompting. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of our beloved Prince and heir, His Highness, Sam Winchester, and the lovely Princess of Demoin, Eileen Leahy. This marriage is a blessed one, indeed, for it is fated to bring together two peoples-"

Sam droned out Joshua's voice as he made a grandiose speech about peace and unity. Instead, he sneaked glances at his bride, who stood stock still. He couldn't see under the veil, of course, but her posture indicated that she was watching Joshua closely. It was almost unnerving.

"Sam," he started, yanked back as Joshua called his name. "Do you take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to be her partner in all things, to cherish and care for her, in sickness and in health, until you shall both die?"

"I do," Sam answered gravely, the truth of his statement sinking into his bones like burnt ash.

"And do you, Milady Eileen, take this man to be your husband? Will you be his partner in all things, to cherish and love him, in sickness and in health, until you both shall pass?"

"I do."

Sam's heart beat thundered in his chest - this was the first time he was hearing her voice, but there was something about it, something strange, _different_...

The veil must be distorting her voice, he sighed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dean and Cas exchange a wary look between them, and he ignored the way the back of his neck pricked in warning.

"May I have the ribbon please?" Joshua reached behind him to grab the long, satin ribbon from the second young squire who stood with a ceremonial tray. Turning back to Sam and Eileen, he gestured for them to hold out their hands.

“With this knot,” he tied one end of the golden ribbon around Sam’s right wrist and then looped it over Eileen’s left, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

He handed them the rings and Sam slid the silver band on to his new wife’s finger, stretching his own fingers for her to do the same. A part of him was relieved that the traditional kiss had been waived in accordance with Demoin custom; he didn’t even know what Eileen _looked_ like, for crying out loud.

Of course, now it meant that the first time he’d see her would be tonight, in their chamber, since Lilith had warned him that they’d be taking her away to get her “ready” for her wedding night immediately after the ceremony. He didn’t know if that was better or worse.

Eileen dropped his hand, but their wrists remained tied together as they turned to face the audience.

“People of Demoin, Eria,” Joshua announced, “I now give you our Crown Prince Sam and his Princess Consort, Eileen!”

Hesitant cheers broke out amongst the two races. Erians were a lot more outspoken in their cheering than the Demoin, Ellen and Bobby clapping while Charlie led the cheers. Sam watched as Lilith and her party shot disapproving glares at the redhead, who ignored them and drew her own wife in for a tender kiss.

Eileen’s fingers tightened around his hand and he looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. Hidden as she was beneath the veil, he couldn’t catch her expression, but her bony, satin-covered shoulders were even stiffer than before. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but before he could, a rough voice interrupted them.

“Congratulations, Sammy,” Dean’s eyes were suspiciously bright as he reached out to grab Sam in a quick hug.

Feeling his own eyes burn, Sam raised his arms awkwardly around his brother, the ribbon tying him to Eileen restricting his movement. She didn’t protest, however, simply letting her arm be arranged in whatever manner, before he stepped back.

“Your Highness,” Dean offered his new sister-in-law a quick bow. Behind him, Castiel was watching them with his usual squinty-eyed look.

Eileen still didn’t say anything, but dropped into a curtesy that Sam knew was Demoin custom. She didn’t let go of his hand, though, and from the tight way she was gripping it, he  could tell she was uncomfortable.

         

“Congrats, Sam,” Castiel muttered. “Your Highness.”

“Milord,” a cold, feminine voice interrupted them and they looked up to see the Demoin queen standing there with an expectant look on her face. “Congratulations. I guess you’re a part of our family now.”

Sam’s skin prickled at her simpering smile, but he nodded politely anyway. Dean’s expression became pinched, but before he could say anything else, Cas grabbed his arm and tilted his head at Lilith in acknowledgment.

“Milady,” Dean grunted, shooting his husband an eyeroll.

“If you wouldn’t mind, Milord,” Lilith ignored them both, focusing solely on Sam. “I’d like to bring my daughter back to our quarters and prepare her for the night. ‘Tis our custom.”

Sam blinked, taken aback. “Aren’t you going to wait until the feast, at least?” he addressed the question to Eileen instead of Lilith. From the sharp intake of breath he heard pass through the veil, she clearly wasn’t expecting that.

“I-” she fumbled. “I can-”

“Come now, my dear,” Lilith cut in, her voice a bit too loud and an almost anxious expression on her face. Behind her, the gaggle of ladies that seemed to perpetually follow her around, giggled and fluttered. “You wouldn’t want to offend our customs, would you, dear son-in-law?” Lilith’s voice dripped with a quiet threat. “You will get her to yourself for the rest of your lives, but give this mother one last evening to feast with her beloved daughter in private before she becomes yours forever.”

 _She isn’t mine, she’s her own person,_ Sam wanted to protest. But Cas’s warning look stayed the comment on his lips. “If you’re certain, Milady,” he muttered instead.

Raising their arms, he offered it to Eileen to remove the knot. She hesitated for a moment, before patting his knuckles gently. A tendril of warmth shot through his skin and his eyes flew up to her face, widening. But she was still hidden, of course, and before he could say anything, she quickly moved her hand away and yanked on the ribbon. It gave easily, freeing them both.

“Come, love,” Lilith crooned, grabbing Eileen’s arm and pulling her away. “By your leave, Milords,” she smiled at them in as fake a manner as Sam had ever seen, and then they were gone, Sam’s new wife and her mother.

“What the heck was that, boy?”

Sam turned to see Bobby watching them, features arranged into an expression of irritated confusion. Ellen was next to him, one arm wrapped around her husband’s waist and the other holding what looked like a small jewelry box.

“Gift for your new wife,” she answered the unasked question. “Where did she go?”

“Damned if I know,” Dean shrugged. “The She-Witch dragged her off.”

“Dean,” both Cas and Sam hissed in unison.

The elder Winchester rolled his eyes and sighed with a shrug. “What?” he sounded sulky.

“She could hear you,” Cas glared at him. “Do you want to cause an international incident?”

“Plus,” Sam felt compelled to add, “She’s my mother-in-law now, man.” The words felt strange coming out of his mouth because he still hadn't processed the fact that he was _married_ now.

"Damn, Sammy," Dean murmured. "Guess she is."

"In any case, boy," Bobby said gruffly, "Congratulations. And," he lowered his voice, casting a wary glance over at the crowd which had begun to gather around them now. "Be careful, ya hear me? I know you're doin' what's right, and I'm a damn sight proud of ya, but I don't want you gettin' hurt."

Sam's throat tightened at Bobby's admission of pride and he offered their pseudo-father a nod. "I will," he said, turning to look at where Lilith's female party was gathered, Eileen right in the middle of them. His eyes fell on Alistair and the rest of the Demoin officials, who were making a beeline towards them and he nodded at Dean. "Incoming," he muttered, watching with fascination as Dean straightened up and his air went from that of concerned elder brother to King of Eria within seconds. Bobby was right - even if Demoin were family now, he would need to be careful.

They all would.

*-*-*

It took them about three hours to get through the wedding feast and the negotiations following that. Sam's eyes kept straying to his wife through the entire time, watching as she remained quietly seated next to her mother. Lilith leaned over once in half an hour or so to pat her daughter's shoulder and murmur something in her ear, and Sam didn't know why, but his teeth clenched in anger at the sight.

Eileen seemed to have no voice of her own. Which meant that no matter how sweet she turned out to be when they finally spoke, Sam could not trust her even in the slightest.

He'd have to be on his guard every minute of every day, to make sure she didn't slide a knife under his ribs.

It was a terrifying prospect.

The formal celebrations broke at last around twilight, Alistair and Dean both signing off on the final trade and treaty they'd been negotiation for the past few weeks. With a quick nod from Dean, Charlie, as Prime Minister of Eria, declared the dancing open, and though it was a small victory, Sam grinned at the way Alistair's second, Dagon, scowled at her. More than once, he'd heard men from the Demoin party comment on how unstable an administration Eria must have with so many women in power, and it was gratifying to see the Erians cheer Charlie on in the face of such misogyny.

"Care to dance with an old lady, boy?" Ellen's voice broke him out of his reverie and he smiled at his pseudo-mother.

"Always have time for a beautiful lady," he winked back and took her arm, leading her on to the dance floor. They swayed to the beat for a long, quiet moment, Sam towering over the woman who'd treated his skinned knees and scolded his bread-stealing and sang him to sleep when Mom and Dad were too busy fighting with one another to pay attention to him or Dean. Alistair's assassin had taken Mary's life, certainly, but they'd known that their marriage was dead long before that. 

"You're gonna be alright, kid," Ellen muttered as he twirled her around. He looked down, his heart leaping to his throat.

"What?"

Reaching up, she patted his cheek softly. "You're terrified," she said in the same matter-of-fact tone she'd used when she'd caught him stealing bread from the castle kitchens. "But you're gonna be alright. This marriage... it'll work."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

Ellen smiled. "Because you're _you_."

Before he could protest that statement, she stood up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, and then stalked off, leaving him alone on the dance floor to stare after her.

Sighing to himself, he ran a hand through his hair and walked back to the tables. Settling back in his corner, he watched the revelery, not quite ready to go out and join them yet. It took him a moment to notice that a majority of the people on the floor were Erian. A few Demoin men were dancing, but there wasn't a single woman from Lilith's party out there.

Frowning, Sam craned his neck to catch a glimpse of them. Neither his wife, nor her mother were anywhere to be seen, and it struck him that Lilith had probably dragged Eileen out to 'prepare' her for the wedding night. A shudder ran through him at the thought - what exactly did that entail? He'd been avoiding thinking about the wedding night for as long as he could, but now... His breath siezed and his stomach clenched at the thought.

Did Eileen expect him to bed her tonight? And even if he didn't, how long would she wait, especially if Alistair had sent her here to bear kids that could lay claim to their throne?

"Sam," Cas's rough baritone interrupted his internal, panic-filled monologue.

"Hey Cas," he forced a smile. "Why aren't you out dancing with Dean?"

"I have something for you," the sorcerer answered. "A wedding gift of sorts."

"Cas, man, you shouldn't have."

Ignoring his protest, Castiel reached into his robes and pulled out a long string, holding it up. It was a pendant, very similar to the one Dean wore, that Sam himself had gifted his brother years ago.  Cas had a similar pendant hanging from his own chest that Sam had had fashioned for their wedding; it was their version of wedding rings, both of them often using the pendants as conduits to speak to one another with magic. 

"Cas, what is this?" Sam's eyes narrowed at his brother-in-law who thrust the pendant into his hands insistently. "This isn't- I can't-"

"It's not the same pendant," Cas assured him. "But I fashioned one similar to it, because I thought you might enjoy wearing one that your brother wears too, as a token of your affection for one another."

Sam tugged it over his neck, feeling the weight of it settle comfortably over his chest. A familiar spark tingled across his skin and his eyes flew to meet Cas's knowing blue gaze over the goblet of wine that sat between them.

"Cas..?" he let the question linger.

"I've spelled it,” Cas said, confirming Sam's suspicion. “At the very least, it will alert you to danger nearby, even if it cannot protect you from everything.” He didn't say anything else, but the meaningful glance he cast over at the congregation of Demoin men drinking and laughing loudly was enough for Sam.

“Thank you, Cas,” Sam said, a lump forming in his throat. It was almost as though his brother-in-law had sensed his quiet panic and come to offer this in answer.

Tilting his head in acknowledgement, the general squeezed his shoulder before heading back to where Dean was twirling a tipsy Jo aroundon the dance floor. Sam watched them for a while, marveling at the sight of Dean's easy smiles and the slow, seductive dip of his head as he bent down to kiss his husband. The easy affection between them was heart-warming to watch, especially after Charlie came to grab her wife away for a slow dance of their own. Sam had been behind both couples every step of the way as they fought tooth and nail to be recognized as legitimate. Despite the fact that Eria had a long history of same-sex marriage, Dean was the first _ruler_ to choose to marry another man. Even if he had continued his love affair with Cas, as long as he married a woman, John and the rest of the old-school Erians would've been fine with it. But neither Cas nor Dean had been ready to parade a farce in the face of their people - they were both well-loved men, and damn if they were going to fool them as such.

Dean had known, of course, that he would never receive the heartfelt blessing from their parents to marry Cas, back when John had still been king. Not to mention that Cas himself had been opposed to the idea vehemently - it had taken a combination of John's death, Dean nearly dying on the battlefield himself and Sam - with Charlie and Jo's help - pushing them together for them to get to where they were today... that was, swaying on the dance floor together, foreheads locked and the affection between them so palpable, it almost hurt to see it.

Dean had sacrificed so much already, for the kingdom, for Mom and Dad, for him.

It was Sam's turn now.

Taking a fortifying sip of the wine, Sam set the goblet down in front of him, swallowing past the tightness in his throat. He'd dilly-dallied enough.

Eileen Leahy was waiting for him.

*-*-*

The doors to his chambers were left slightly ajar, Sam saw, as he wandered past the winding stairs. Dean had clapped his shoulder with a quick smirk, but lowered his voice to warn him to be careful all the same. Both Charlie and Jo had kissed his cheek, but other than that, there was little fanfare when Sam slipped away, stomach churning with anxiety.

His new wife was waiting for him.

It was an almost archaic convention, having her waiting for him to come and ravish her in his - _their_ \- chambers now. Sam didn't know how to process it; as Erian, he was used to a different lifestyle, he supposed. And while he respected that other cultures had their own customs and practices, he wasn't sure how to behave around his new wife without giving offense. Especially when she was possibly an assassin sent to murder him once she was pregnant with his child.

It was that particular thought that had him rapping his own door in a gentle knock. No answer was forthcoming, however, and Sam frowned as he walked inside, back stiff, senses hyperaware despite the few goblets of wine he'd consumed at the dance.

"Your Highness?" he called. "...Eileen?"

Silence. It was so loud, he could practically hear it. Gritting his teeth, he turned around, about to run back downstairs and demand what was happening from Alistair and Lilith, when he caught sight of a small figure standing on his balcony, on the far edge of his room.

She was draped in an off-shoulder gown that was the color of Erian sunsets in the summer, not quite pink, not quite red, but somewhere in between, with dips and borders of molten gold thrown in. The long, dark hair he'd seen at the altar flowed down bony shoulders in bouncy waves and he could see the column of a pale neck as Eileen threw her head back up to the stars.

It was the first time he was seeing her face - the first time he was seeing her.

_Beautiful._

His breath caught in his chest, heart racing. The serene look on her face as she closed her eyes to the soft breeze tickling her chin made her look so human, it made Sam feel like he was intruding on a private moment.

Fuck, this was not good - he was attracted to her. He was attracted to his own wife.

Sternly telling himself to snap out of it, Sam strode up to her, reaching out to grab her shoulder.

"Eileen, you- WOAH!"

He jumped back, narrowly dodging the punch she threw his way. Ducking, he caught her arm as it swung towards his face, and then yelped when sparks fell from her fingers, burning his skin enough that he let her go instinctively.

"Don't touch me," she growled.

Sam stared at her incredulously, hazel eyes widening at the sight in front of him. Eileen's hands were glowing a soft purple, and he could hear her harsh intake of breath and her voice - it was right there, in front of him, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing.

"You're deaf," he said stupidly. "...you're deaf?!"

Her shoulders stiffened. Slanted eyes, which were the color of Ellen's home-brewed coffee, narrowed at him, a spark of challenge and defiance in them.

"And you have magic?" he babbled.

"Didn't Father tell you?" she demanded. Before Sam could answer, however, she dropped her hands, her expression tightening into one of knowing disappointment and a bitter laugh bubbled out of her throat. He'd seen that expression on his own face so many times, seen the same look on Dean's face each time he watched Dad derail himself after another fight with Mom.

"Of course he didn't," she muttered. "That's why Lilith wanted me to be so quiet during the ceremony. And why she dragged me away immeidately after."

"So it wasn't to prep for tonight?" Sam quipped.

The corner of her lips quirked up into a seductive smirk. "Why, Your Highness," she drawled, "Would I need to prep for tonight? Were you planning on ravishing me?"

Despite the teasing tone, there was a stiff tension in her voice, and Sam threw up his hands in surrender, shaking his head. "Not tonight, Milady," he told her honestly, "And not without your explicit consent, no matter what the treaty or your parents or anyone else has to say about it."

"Huh," she stepped back. Her hands - so far still sparking warningly with the lightest ounce of magic - stopped glowing, even as she offered him a small smile.

And it was then that it hit Sam in full. This was his _wife_ , his partner for the rest of their lives. Eileen Leahy, a princess of Demoin, now the Princess Consort of the Prince and Heir to Eria.

Eileen Leahy had magic. Eileen Leahy was deaf.

But most importantly, Eileen Leahy was not the sweet, helpless woman brainwashed into being an assassin that he believed her to be. He didn't know how he'd constructed the rather contradictory image in his head - except that he had, and she was absolutely nothing like it.

"You're not what I expected," she said finally, looking him up and down.

"Neither are you."

She tensed up, her purple sparks jumping from the tips of her fingers. "I'm sorry if you're getting a defective princess in the place of the perfect wife you were hoping for," she growled.

"I do wish I'd known that you were deaf," Sam murmured, "But only because I could have learnt how to speak sign language, Milady."

Eileen blinked, clearly taken aback at his answer. "You..." she hesitated and the continued, "You would've done that for a stranger who's after your brother's throne?" her voice turned dark with suspicion, "You _do_ know why my father pushed for this marriage?"

Sam stood his ground, meeting her probing gaze without so much as a flinch. "I'm not stupid," he snorted. "I'm well aware that Alistair wants to claim Eria through whatever child we may have. But," it was his turn to glare at her suspiciously, "I won't let that happen, even if it means this marriage is never consumated."

"That would dissolve the treaty," Eileen pointed out. "Render it void - which would also leave ground for my father to attack Eria, this time without opposition."

"Only if you let it slip, Milady," Sam spat. "My sex life is not up for political debate."

The ensuing laugh that escaped Eileen's throat was entirely too close to a strangled sob for Sam's taste. "Our entire lives have become a political farce, Milord," she whispered.

"I know," Sam said. "But it doesn't have to be." He reached up to pull off the pendant Castiel had given him and held it up, ignoring the way her hands clenched. "My brother-in-law gave this to me," he said. "It's a protection charm that he personally spelled for me, to keep me safe from my wife... do I need it?"

He leveled her with a challenging look and she stared back at him for a long, pregnant moment before shaking her head and stepping back.

"No, you don't," she said. "I... I don't... I'm not my Father's daughter. As you can clearly see," she snorted down at her hands.

Sam smiled. "You don't have to be afraid here," he told her. "As you can clearly see," he gestured towards the pendant which he still held up and she chuckled in response. "And yes," he muttered, his voice growing pensieve, "I would have learnt sign language for you, Milady."

Shocked, warm cocoa eyes flew to meet his and his smile grew wider as he tilted his head towards the single bed behind them.

"We should sleep," he said. "It's been a long day." Turning around without waiting for her response, he walked back to the bed and grabbed a few pillows off of it, yanking a couple blankets as well. Eileen was watching him in surprise, he noted, making sure he was facing her so she could read his lips as he spoke.

"I'll sleep over there," he indicated, pointing to the smaller sofa nestled in the corner of his room. "You can take the bed."

"You don't have to," she protested. "It's big enough, we can share. It's not like I don't know how to defend myself."

"I know," Sam smirked, referring to her earlier punch, "But neither of us are comfortable with one another... are we, Milady?" He had her there, he could tell.

"Eileen," she said suddenly. "I'm Eileen... Milord?"

"Sam," he answered immediately, "And I'm Sam."

The impassive expression faded into a warm, soft smile and Sam had to breathe in slowly through the sudden pounding of his heart as he waved good night at her and dumped the pillows on the divan, dragging a thick blanket over his head to bury his face in the cushions.

Gods, but she was beautiful. And he was _so_ screwed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sight of Sam's chest rising and falling where he lay was strangely soothing. Eileen rolled over on to her stomach to peer at his still form on the sofa. She wondered absently if he snored as he slept and her fingers twitched, itching to feel the quiet rumble of his throat if he did.

_Sam Winchester._

He was not what she'd expected him to be when Alistair had ordered her to marry him. From the way her uncle had described him, she had mentally prepared herself to find her husband a brutal, ruthless and sly man who's only law was his brother's wishes. She'd heard countless tales of the Sam Winchester who had taken plenty of Demoin lives with his unrivalled battle strategies; where the Prince Consort was known being a fearless leader and powerful soldier in battle, Prince Sam was known for piloting the army from behind the scenes.

She was expecting a hardened general, similar to that of Grandfather Azazel, set in his ways about magic and women, refusing to see either as assets worthy of his kingdom, instead labeling them liabilities to be 'taken care of'. And as both sorcerer and woman, she'd expected to come here and be bedded the very first night and not given much importance beyond the consummation of the marriage to satisfy the terms of the treaty.

Instead, she found herself face-to-face with a man whose smile was soft and sweet, whose hazel eyes sparkled like the candles she lit to invoke the forest spirits to aid her magic. She'd snarled when she'd realized that Alistair had hidden her 'deficiency' from her husband, terrified that she was going to be sent back home, terrified that she would be the reason her people would suffer.

_I would have learnt sign language for you, Milady._

_Marry him, and I will release those dirty mongrels of yours, sitting in the dungeons._

She didn't know what either Sam or Alistair sounded like, but she imagined the former to be hesitantly certain, unsure of where they stood with each other, but sure of the fact that he was willing to learn something new for her.

She didn't need to be able to hear, on the other hand, to know that her uncle had sounded cold and demanding and oily - it was who he was, who he had been since the day her parents had died and left her in his care.

Did Sam even know that she didn't actually belong to Lilith and Alistair by blood? That even if they did have a child together, the king of Demoin would only ever be able to lay claim to one-fourth of the blood running through the baby's veins?

A warm flush spread down her entire body at the thought of having a baby with Sam. He wasn't an unattractive man and Eileen would be lying if she said that she didn't want to climb him like a tree. No matter how much Lilith and Alistair had tried to keep her stifled, Mildred had managed to teach her not to fear her own body or sexuality - Eileen liked sex and she wasn't ashamed about it. And seeing Sam at the altar, dressed in those rich brown robes, the golden circlet nestled against shaggy hair that flopped onto an almost chiseled face...

Yes, Eileen hadn't exactly minded the thought of sleeping with him tonight, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of getting pregnant with his child. Lilith had prepped her for it, even going so far as to annoint her with a number of purification rituals, not that her aunt knew that she hadn't been 'pure' since she was about seventeen years old.

But no matter how comfortable with sex Eileen was, no matter that she fully consented to being a brood-mare for the sake of her people, she wasn't supposed to _like_ Sam Winchester. She had made up her mind to hate him, only now, she found it impossible to do so.

 _Your yes can mean freedom to all the dirty magicians in the kingdom,_ Alistair had sneered at her. Eileen could still see his snarl in her mind, the disgust on his face evident as he turned away from the child he'd taken on as his own only to denounce her when he found out that she had magic running in her veins. If not for Mildred, Eileen would've had had the same kind of hatred to her own kind, would've grown up with the knowledge that she was wrong and dirty too. Mildred and the rest of her kind were trapped, in Alistair's dungeons.

 _It couldn't matter,_ Eileen vowed to herself, it couldn't matter that she was attracted to Sam Winchester. It couldn't matter that she liked him.

She had to protect her own. And if that meant following Alistair's dictate, then she would do it without hesitation, no matter the cost.

Sighing, she rolled back over to lie on her back and closed her eyes, breathing in slow and deep, recalling the early lessons in meditation that Mildred had hammered into her had. It wouldn't put her to sleep, but it would bring her to something closely resembling rest, and right now, it would have to do.

*-*-*

Morning dawned warm and sunny in Eria. Eileen yawned, stretching out tiredly, rubbing her eyelids as bright light danced across them. Her gaze fell on the empty sofa in front of her and she shot up, scanning the room for signs of her husband, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Sam?" she called hesitantly.

There was no answer. Growling under her breath, she threw aside the covers and jumped out of bed, walking over to the bathroom. She knocked on the door, but it swung open, confirming her suspicions.

Sam was already gone.

She shouldn't be disappointed, she told herself, biting her lower lip. Sam didn't owe her anything and just because he'd been super nice to her last night, it didn't mean he was some sort of angel. Sighing at her stupidity, she marched into the bathroom, determinedly going about her morning routine to ready herself for the day.

Half an hour later, Eileen emerged, feeling much more human and ready to face the world. Sleep had been elusive last night, so she was still a little grumpy. Her stomach was beginning to protest; Lilith had been very insistent that she skip dinner last night and Eileen had rolled her eyes but gone along with it because it was just easier.

Intent on finding some food, she walked out of Sam's - _their_ \- chambers, heading for the winding stairs that led to the main hall if she remembered. Climbing down, she hesitated on the landing, distracted by the window in front of her. It was a huge one, almost as big as she herself was, and she went to look outside.

This side of the castle overlooked the gardens and the little playground that lay in the middle of it. She could see small figures throwing about balls and running after one another; there was an air of carefree happiness about them that she hadn't seen in a long time. It reminded her of a Demoin that hadn't been so closed off or cold, back when she was a mischievous four year-old sneaking around the castle, with Mildred chasing after her.

Suddenly, one of the children - a young girl with long, golden hair - slid off the swing in mid-air. The distance to the ground wasn't all that far, but Eileen's heart jumped to her throat and she threw her hands out. Screw caution, it didn't matter that magic was forbidden, it didn't matter that Alistair would kill her for it if she was caught using it publicly-

A warm, blue glow caught the young girl and lowered her safely to the floor, where she curled up and began to cry. Eileen blinked, the protection spell dying on her lips, as she watched the tall, dark-haired man stride forward and bend down to stroke the girl's hair and pull her into his arms.

Right.

Magic wasn't a taboo here. And that man was the Prince Consort himself, comforting the crying little girl as though he was little more than a nanny, holding her close and rocking her back and forth gently.

A tendril of warmth lit her belly at the thought; she wouldn't have to hide her own magic here. Guilt rushed in almost immediately - even if she was free, her people weren't. Mildred was still under Alistair's thumb.

Growling, she turned around, stomping away from the window and towards the main hall. In her irritation, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, which was the only excuse she could give for running straight into the King himself.

"Son of a bitch!"

Eileen resisted the urge to smirk at the curse she read on His Majesty's lips. Neither Alistair nor Lilith had been impressed with just how 'uncultured' they had perceived King Dean to be, but she herself had appreciated that he tried to be one of the people that he ruled over.

"Eileen! Are you alright?"

She should not like the way that Sam made certain to look at her before he spoke. Her heart leapt to her throat anyway as he completely ignored his elder brother and instead offered his hand to her, pulling her to her feet easily. His fingers felt warm and strong and rough against her own, and she banished the image of those same fingers running over her body, causing havoc on her senses.

"I apologize, Your Highness," she said instead, offering the King a curtesy. "I didn't mean to run into you, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Son of a- Sammy, you didn't tell me she was deaf!"

Eileen stiffened at King Dean's comment, opening her mouth to answer when Sam jumped in.

"Dean!" he hissed. "You're being a dick."

"I apologize, Your Majesty," Eileen interrupted. "That my father was not completely honest with you. But I assure you, my deafness has no bearing on my ability to bear children or perform my duties as Princess Consort here on."

The king's expression turned into one of disgust and irritation, and Eileen braced herself for more of the familiar vitriol that often accompanied people's reaction to her.

"I have no doubt about that, princess," despite his irritation, King Dean made sure to look straight at her when he spoke. "But if this is how your father handles treaties - with dishonesty and deceit - how am I supposed to trust that he will stay true to the deal we have made? How can I trust you with my younger brother's safety?"

There was a challenge in those green eyes that Eileen found herself flinching back from.

"Dean, stop," Sam glared at him. "It's not her fault. And I can take care of myself."

But Dean didn't look away, his fist clenching his sword tightly, his face drawn back in a pinching glare that Eileen found hard to meet.

"You're right," she said finally. "I understand your worry, Your Highness. And I apologize on my father's behalf, for deceiving you and sending you a princess who's not up to standard. But he will standby what he has negotiated - I will make certain of that."

It was Dean's turn to flinch, and his probing green gaze softened as he ran an awkward hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I sound like an asshole. Sam told me about your magic and how you didn't feel safe using it at home, but this the second thing that Alistair has kept from me and I'm... I was just startled, that's all."

"Damn straight," Sam snapped.

"My apologies, princess," Dean offered her a low bow and Eileen blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in tone. "You're welcome here," he continued, straightening up. "As long as you mean my brother no harm, I have no problems with you being the Princess Consort."

"I don't want to hurt Sam," she assured him, mentally hiding a wince at the statement. She didn't _want_ to hurt him, but if she continued this way... if it was what protected Mildred and her people, then she would have no choice.

Pointedly ignoring the dark turn to her thoguhts, she continued, "I actually really like him." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sam's blush and idly wondered if the red spread all the way down to the very muscled chest she'd caught tantalizing glimpses of last night.

"Alright, Sammy!" Dean chuckled and reached over to cuff his brother. Sam rolled his eyes, but let the king manhandle him. The easy affection between them, Eileen mused, was yet another change from Demoin - she'd been only about three or four, but she couldn't remember Alistair ever hugging her father or talking to him with respect.

"Then," Dean's expression turned more serious immediately, "You wouldn't mind sitting with Cas for a magic check."

"Dean!" Sam protested, but Eileen only frowned in confusion.

"Cas?"

"My husband," Dean said. "He's Prince Consort and Army General, of course, but he's also the Court Sorcerer. Strongest spell-caster we've got. He'll perform the standard magic check on you that we do on all kids who report having magic in themselves - power levels, proficiency level, intent, etc."

"You... it's that standardized here?"

"Close to fifty percent of our population possess magic," Sam said with a shrug. "When it became obvious that nearly half our people have it, our grandfather decided we needed a centralized system of ensuring that the children were trained the right way, that magic was recognized as part of our daily lives and given a legitimate status in our beareaucracy."

Eileen swallowed past the tightness in her throat. It sounded like a dream come true, for someone who had hidden her powers from public eye her entire life. Magic was just shy of being outlawed in Demoin; if the people had found out that their own princess was magic, then Alistair would lose all his ground with them, particularly with the rich, noble lords who provided him with half the support he needed to hold the throne as tightly as he did.

"But Dean," Sam turned a glare to his brother. "She doesn't have to-"

"She does," Dean cut him off. His expression was stern, lips pursed, and Eileen saw the shift between brother and king in that moment.

"It's alright, Sam," she said. "He has a point. I will submit to this kind of a checking, I don't mind."

Sam's features remained troubled, but Dean relaxed, smiling at her and offering her his arm.

"And princess?" he said as she took it. "The only other reason I was so annoyed at your father was because you shouldn't have to struggle in a new place because he didn’t tell us something about you.” He squeezed her wrist comfortingly and smiled at her.

Eileen didn’t know what to say to that, so she returned his smile and remained quiet. The kindness of these Erians was startling. She wasn’t sure how much of it she should be taking at face value - did they truly mean it? Or were they just being welcoming of the foriegn princess who was so unused to their ways?

Sam stepped forward to fall into line with them and the two men steered her towards the main hall.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there this morning," Sam spoke up, offering her an apologetic smile. "There was an emergency over at the building site that Charlie wanted me to take a look at, or I'd have stayed. I wanted to come back and show you around the castle."

"Building site?" Eileen said, confused.

"Yeah, we're adding another school on the west end of town," Dean supplied. "This one for kids interested in pursuing magical research. Most of the young sorcerers are taught to control and use their powers like we'd teach 'em math and science, but we don't have many specializing in the study of magic itself."

"It was Castiel's idea," Sam said, pulling her to the side as they by-passed a number of the castle's residents. "While Grandpa Henry and our parents made it mandatory to register as practicing sorcerers, there's really no regulation of it as an industry, particularly since so many of them offer many services in exchange for money."

Eileen took her cue from the brothers and resolutely ignored the curious looks from the others. "So you'd like to make it an official occupation?" she asked.

"It already is recognized as such," Dean answered. "We just want to regulate it more so that dicks don't take innocents on a ride. Cas has stopped one too many fakers from pretending to cure death-defying ailments."

"You'd need a governing body," Eileen said slowly. A spark of excitement lit her belly and she continued, "a guild, perhaps, who can prescribe a code of conduct. And you'd need a way of enforcing that code, and maybe a tribunal to see what could happen the code was crossed. The punishment would have to..." she trailed off, eyeing the amused looks on both men's faces. "What?" she snapped.

The rumble of Sam's chuckle reverberated down his arm and Eileen suppressed a shiver at the feel of it, pressed into his side as she was.

"It's just nice to see you so enthusiastic about it," he said.

She flushed in response. "It's just... magic isn't exactly welcome in Demoin."

Sam squeezed her hand. "You're free to use it as you please here."

"In any case," Dean said, "We want to do all of what you just pointed out... both Sam and Cas have been working out a way to establish a Sorcerer's Guild." His expression was filled with pride as he looked over at his younger brother fondly and Eileen felt her chest tighten at the sight.

How was she ever going to do what she had to, when they were clearly such good people? She hadn't been here very long, but she could already tell how much they cared about one another.

Sighing, she pushed the thought away, even as Sam led them into the kitchens, Dean right behind them. The brothers sat down amongst the castle staff with little hesitation, calling out to familiar faces and waving their hands in greeting, as though they were as much a part of the working staff as they were the rulers.

A dark-haired girl waltzed up to their table and placed three hot bowls of soup in front of them. "There you go, old man," she snarked at Dean. "Eat before you faint of exhaustion."

"Watch it, Krissy," Dean rolled his eyes. "I can still get Jo to blacklist you from training next week."

"I'll just get Cas to overrule her," Krissy smirked, reaching out to punch him in the shoulder. "He likes me more than you."

"He's my husband," Dean retorted, "And I'm _king_ , for fuck's sake. My word carries more weight than his."

"Is that so, my love?" came rough, deep baritone behind them. Four heads turned in unison to see Castiel striding towards them, a predatory look on his face. His sword hung loosely by his side, blue-trimmed black robes bellowing behind him, making him look every inch the powerful sorcerer and commander Eileen had heard him to be.

"Buuuusted," Krissy sing-songed. "Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"Shut it, brat," Dean said in a grumpy tone, flicking her ear. "Get back to work before Ellen finds you slacking off."

"Cas, your husband's being mean to me," Krissy whined.

"Dean, stop being mean to Krissy," Castiel parroted. Dean rolled his eyes and pulled him down for a quick kiss. Krissy made a disgusted noise, but both men ignored her, lips brushing a few more times before they finally separated.

"You wanted my husband, kiddo," Dean said cheerfully, "Not my fault he's fucking irresistible."

Eileen watched with growing interest at the familiar banter and a small smile wormed itself on to her face.

"After breakfast," Sam tapped her knuckles gently to get her attention and she looked at him, "Would you like a tour of the castle for the rest of the morning?"

Eileen nodded, "I'd like that. What..." she hesitated, "What am I doing after that?"

It was something she'd been worrying about for a while now. Eileen wasn't one to sit around and do nothing; back in Demoin, neither Alistair nor Lilith had deemed it necessary for her to be involved with the day-to-day affairs of governance or the castle. As a high-bred woman, it wasn't becoming of her to do household work such as cooking or cleaning either, which meant that all she'd been fated for was sewing and reading. If not for Mildred and the underground Resistance, Eileen would've been completely bored out of her mind.

She didn't think the Erians were similar, though. If the way Sam and Dean were involved with the castle staff was an indication, they deemed all work to be important; surely, they'd find some way for her to contribute to the daily affairs?

Dark brows furrowed down Sam's forehead at her question. "Isn't the Demoin party departing today?" he asked. Behind them, Dean waved over a dark-haired young girl to where they were seated.

"Oh, right," Eileen said, feeling stupid. "They are." She'd completely forgotten about the fact that she was never going to see her uncle and aunt again, that Eria was now her permanent home. For a moment, she felt as though she couldn't breathe, the world getting smaller and smaller. Her voice died in her throat, and she clenched her fists, closing her eyes to the sudden panic.

Mildred.

Missouri and Patience. Balthazar. Kaia and Gadreel and Ezekiel. 

She wasn't ever going back.

A gentle thumb rubbing itself back and forth over her white knuckles brought her back. Her eyes flew open to a concerned hazel gaze, Sam's expression sympathetic and understanding.

"Eileen," he said slowly, "I'm sorry. I know this is hard... would you like the whole day to spend with them? Say goodbye? I can get someone to take you out to the Lafitte lands until we join you for the official farewell procession."

Sniffling, she shook her head, suppressing a snort. "That's the last thing I want," she said thickly. At his confused look, she added, "I'm not very close to them, Sam... Alistair or Lilith, I..." she looked away, throat tightening again at the thought that Mildred was still in their dungeons, while here she was, sitting as a princess consort with a man who was the heir to the throne. "I'm grateful to them for everything they've done, but..." she shrugged, unable to say anything more.

Fortunately, Sam seemed to understand. So he squeezed her hand and patted her shoulder, pulling back with a nod. "Aright then," he said. "Tour of the castle, and then we'll all head to the formal procession together. Is that okay?"

"Thank you, Sam," she smiled.

A tap on her shoulder drew their attention back to Dean who nodded at them both. Castiel was leaning against his shoulder, his own bowl of soup in front of him, but his eyes were trained on Eileen, an impassive expression on his face.

"Hello," he said. But it wasn't that which drew Eileen's attention, it was the way he moved his hands, forming the words as he spoke. _I'm C-A-S. It is good to formally meet you, Milady._

"You can sign?" she asked in surprise.

Castiel nodded. "Not very much, but I learnt some."

She smiled at him. _It's nice to talk like this._

He tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Indeed. Dean tells me you consented to a magic check?"

"Whatever you deem necessary," she confirmed. "I'm not here to harm anyone, Milord. And while my father may perpetuate lies, I'm not one to deceive my family." Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched Sam's expression soften at her pronouncement that they were now family.

"Cas," Castiel said. "If we're family, Milady," he squinted at her, "Then I'm Cas."

"Eileen," she smiled.

"I'll get Charlie and Jo to take you over to the east wing sometime this week," Dean said. "It's where we bring in all the kids and give 'em their magic test... once the level of their powers is determined, we pair 'em with potential masters they can apprentice themselves to, so they can learn to control their pwoers."

"The kids don't receive a formal education in magic?" she frowned.

"As of right now, only up until the age of twelve or so," Dean said, wincing. "Till they learn the basics of power control. It's why we want to build the school, give 'em a chance to study it further."

"It's an admirable goal," Eileen told him, spooning a mouthful of hot soup. It tasted incredible and she let out a soft moan at the taste. "This is incredible!"

Sam smirked. "Ellen will be glad to hear that," he said. "Speaking of..." he turned to his brother, "I'm takin' the rest of the morning off. Gonna show Eileen around the castle."

Dean waved his hand over them. "Go," he said. "Be back by lunch, I need you to sign off on a couple things before we get ready for the farewell procession."

Sam nodded and they returned to their soup, eating in silence until they were finished. Soon after, he pulled her to her feet and she offered the king and his husband a quick curtsey before following him towards the back of the kitchens. They dumped their dirty dishes in a stone basin and then Sam introduced her to the chef, Ellen Harvelle.

Eileen remembered her from the negotiations, but she hadn't realized just how close Sam was to the elder woman who cuffed his cheek affectionately before turning to her.

"Take care of my boy," she said and Eileen smiled, offering her a quick curtesy as well.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Harvelle," she said softly.

Ellen drew her close, grabbing her in a maternal hug and tucking her hair back. A rush of homesickness for Mildred's warmth made her throat tighten with emotion and Eileen swallowed as she pulled back, turning back to Sam without another word.

"Let's go," he said, taking her hand and rubbing a soothing thumb over her knuckles.

 _Well, that was quickly becoming a thing between them,_ she thought. It felt good, she had to admit, and smiled at him, gesturing for him to lead the way.

They spent the rest of the morning touring the castle. Sam was a wonderful guide, patient and kind, answering her relentless questions without pause. He tripped up often, forgetting that she couldn't hear him, but it was almost worth it to see him flush a bright red and stammer his way through an apology each time. He was cute. More importantly, he was trying, and it shouldn't appeal to her as much as it did.

"And this is Charlie's office," he announced, leading her inside a big, circular room with bright paintings hanging off the wall. There were rolls of parchment and paper lying around the monstrous table that occupied the center of the room, and behind it, a small redhead was seated, glaring and huffing at the document in front of her.

"You're supposed to knock, Winchester," she snapped, "What if Jo and I had been fucking in here?"

Eileen couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. She knew she'd like the Erian Prime Minister when she'd seen her at the formal festivities.

"That's what you'd get for leaving your door open, Bradbury," Sam retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Now play nice and say hello to my wife."

"Clearly the better part of you," she grumbled. "Hello, Eileen," she said, turning a warm smile to the Demoine, who smiled back.

"It's nice to meet you, Milady."

They spent a few minutes chatting before Charlie kicked them out of her office to get back to the document she was scowling at, but even within that short time, Eileen could tell that the redhead was someone she'd enjoy being friends with.

Sam brought her back to the kitchens soon after that, explaining that Jo was out on the training arena, currently yelling at a regiment of new recruits, something she did every morning before letting Castiel take over the training. Eileen's head was spinning with all the names and the information, but it was ultimately the tight clenching of her chest which tripped her up.

Back in Demoin, when she'd agreed to do this, when she'd agreed to let Alistair dictate her life, she'd been expecting only a single casualty of this whole mess - herself. Now, in Eria, in her new home, it was clear that that wasn't going to be the case.

These people... they were real. They were human. And she liked them.

She liked _Sam_.

So when he apologized sheepishly after lunch for abandoning her to meet with Dean, she shook her head and leaned up to kiss his cheek, wishing her heart wasn't so heavy.

"It's okay, Sam," she murmured. "I'm going to get ready for the procession. I shall see you later."

Without waiting for a reply, she wandered out of the kitchens, heading up back to their chambers, where she flopped on the bed and let out a long, tired groan. The prospect of seeing her parents again one last time was about as appealing as taking her finals instructions from Alistair for what to do next, and she sighed as she glared up at the ceiling.

Mildred, she bit her lip. Missouri and Patience and Balthazar. Her people. Her  _family_. 

Clenching her fists, she took in a deep, fortifying breath and closed her eyes.

She'd do what she had to, no matter the cost.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You will look after my daughter, King Dean?"

Alistair phrased it as a question, but Sam could hear the undercurrents of the threat in his snaky tone. Across him, Dean was clenching the pommel of his sword tightly.

"My little Eileen, so helpless and innocent," Alistair continued. "She's always needed someone to look after her, and I've done my very best. But it isn't easy... having a child like that."

Sam's belly rolled; he opened his mouth to protest, but Dean beat him to it.

"Child like _what_?" he snapped.

Alistair's thin eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Belligerent, disobedient," he answered smoothly. "One who can't... _listen_ to instructions."

Sam was gritting his teeth so hard, he could feel his temples pound. He moved to get up and snarl at his father-in-law, but a soft grip on his hand stopped him. His head whipped around to stare at Eileen, who sat calmly next to him. Her expression was impassive, showing no hints of the anger that was currently making Sam nauseous, but her eyes were trained on her father’s lips, reading them with a quiet magnanimity that Sam didn’t think he’d have if he was in her position.

_D-O-N-T._

She traced the letters with a firm finger across his palms. His eyes flew to hers and he raised a confused eyebrow, but she simply shook her head.

_S-I-T._

Exhaling slowly, Sam reclined against his seat, one hand dropping to the pommel of his own sword. He bit his lower lip, gripping Eileen's hand with his other hand, and turned his attention back to where the two rulers were having their final round of negotiations disguised as farewell.

He needn't have worried, however; if there was anything Dean was prided himself on, it was defending his family.

"Maybe she didn't listen to _you_ , Milord," he was saying. "But Milady Eileen has already proved an asset to my kingdom in the single day she's been here. She's provided us with valuable suggestions for the Sorcerer's Guild we're building. And she didn't even need us to tell her what to do.”

Alistair’s face contorted into an irritated expression, but he couldn’t say anything publicly. “Well, then, Milord,” he hissed, “I hope that you shall take good care of her.”

Dean offered him a polite smile. “She’s part of my family now,” he said. “And I take care of my own.”

Eileen’s grip on his hand tightened and Sam squeezed her back, tracing small circles on to her palm with his thumb. She sighed softly in response, and let him go to step forward to greet her father.

“I will be fine, Father,” she said, her voice firm. “Prince Sam and his kingdom have been most welcoming.”

“It is good to see you doing well, daughter,” Alistair sneered. “See that you do me and your home proud. We will _all_ be watching out for your letters.” There was a pointed note to his tone that made Sam frown, but before he could question it, Eileen had offered her father a short curtsey and stepped back, falling into place next to him.

“We shall take your leave, then,” Alistair addressed the entire Erian party gathered. “Let us hope that this union proves fruitful for both our kingdoms soon enough, eh, Prince Sam?” he leered at the younger Winchester, who simply tilted his head in answer.

“Indeed,” he said coldly.

“Now I’m certain my beautiful wife is waiting to say her farewells to our little girl,” Alistair continued, “So if you wouldn’t mind…?” he gestured for Eileen to join him, and Sam frowned, turning to her.

“Are you going to…” he trailed off, suddenly uncertain. How could he ask her if she wanted to say goodbye to her own mother? No matter how uncomfortable she seemed, they were still her parents. And he’d only observed their interactions for a day, he had no right to judge.

Fortunately, Eileen seemed to understand. Her face broke out into the same, cheery smile from before and she leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll be fine,” she murmured. “I need to to go see my mother and her bridal party, but I shall return soon…?” she phrased it as a question, and there was a shy flush on her face that made Sam smile.

“I’ll be waiting,” he nodded. “Take your time, Milady.”

She squeezed his hand and then stepped forward a second time, offering her father another curtesy before scurrying off in the direction of the ladies chambers. Sam watched her go, grateful for the few castel staff Benny had employed to show the Demoin party around his lands. They followed her now, directing her to where their Treasurer had housed the Demoin Queen.

“The women will need their time, huh, King Dean?” Alistair laughed.

Sam rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Charlie, who’d moved to take Eileen’s place by his side. _Asshole_ , she mouthed, and Sam hid a snort, nodding quietly. "It's gonna be a long evening," he muttered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She hummed in agreement, leaning into his side, and he breathed in the familiar smell of her, comforted by her presence.

As he predicted, the rest of the farewell party turned out to be a chore. Benny was a gracious host, going so far as to hold a bunch of dance and music performances in their guests' favor, but Alistair's men were as abrasive and unappreciative as ever. Sam watched with pursed lips, knowing that both his brother and his brother-in-law were just as annoyed with them, Cas leaning over to whisper in Dean's ears every so often.

Eileen and Lilith, along with the rest of the women from Demoin remained missing for a long time. Sam couldn't help but eye the corridor down which his wife had disappeared, wondering exactly what the Demoin Queen was putting her through.

"You okay there, Sasquatch?" Charlie elbowed him and he grunted.

"'M fine," he said. "Just..."

"Worried for your better half?" there was a hint of amusement in her tone and her hazel eyes sparkled at him.

Sam flushed, but shrugged in response. "Can you blame me?" he waved his hand in the general direction of the Demoin ladies' chambers.

Charlie winced. "Your mother-in-law's a witch," she was careful to lower her voice. "Still can't believe the assholes lied to us. Our new princess shouldn't have to suffer because her family's a great big bag of dicks."

"What'd Alistair have to say when Dean confronted him?" Sam asked. Both he and Eileen had been required to make a later entrance than his brother, so he'd missed out on the first part of the evening earlier on.

Charlie's expression turned fierce. "Son of bitch slid neatly around it," she grumbled. "Pointed out that the treaty was signed for a fruitful union between our two nations and that Eileen's deafness has no bearing on that whatsoever."

"She's not a fucking brood mare," Sam growled.

"And Dean couldn't say anything after that without comin' off as an ableist asshole," Charlie sighed. "So he had to let it drop."

Sam huffed in response, opening his mouth to curse out Alistair, when a familiar figure caught his eye. He nodded towards where Garth was striding in Cas's direction and Charlie's red brows climbed above her forehead. They watched as the skinny man leaned over the table to whisper something into the Court Sorcerer's ears. Cas frowned in response, quietly moving over to murmur something under his breath to Dean, who offered him a single, sharp nod. A moment later, Cas got to his feet, bowed low to Alistair and then marched out, Garth following him without pause.

“What was that about?” Sam wondered.

Charlie frowned and shook her head, darting out from beneath his arm. “I’m gonna head over,” she told him. “If Cas is gone for the evening, Dean’s gonna need backup.”

“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “Go on.” He waved at his elder brother, and Charlie leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek. She turned back, eyeing the Demoin party for a long moment before her usual cool, Prime Minister mask fell over her face to cover the distaste. The taller Winchester watched as she slid in neatly next to Dean, taking the place Cas had just vacated. Almost immediately, his elder brother’s tense shoulders relaxed and he dropped an arm over her shoulders, drawing her close to himself.

Sam’s attention was distracted right then by the sight of Eileen appearing at the edge of the banquet hall, her mother and the rest of the bridal party in tow. Lilith was steering her daughter towards the head table where her husband was sitting, but Eileen gently shook her head halfway to their destination and broke away, making a beeline for him instead.

“Hello, Sam,” she smiled, coming to take a seat next to him.

“How was saying farewell to your mother, Milady?” he asked.

Eileen shrugged. “I’ll be happy to never do it again,” she said. “And not because I’ll miss her.”

Sam chuckled, reaching out to take her hand in his hesitantly, giving her plenty of time to reject his touch if she wished it. She didn’t, instead squeezing his palm and rubbing her thumb over his skin, and _okay_ , that was gonna be a thing between them now, then. Sam would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy about it.

“Look, m’dear,” Alistair’s voice boomed across the room to where they were seated. “King Dean’s administration is so loyal.”

“Indeed, my love?” Lilith simpered.

“His… husband, was it? - his _husband_ \- left midway through the feast, but here is his beautiful, young Prime Minister to finish in his stead. Quite the arrangement they have.”

“Makes you wonder how far this level of comfort goes exactly… I must admit, we’re far more reticent in Demoin, Milord,” Lilith added.

Sam felt his belly roll in revulsion. In one fell swoop, his parents-in-law had discounted both Dean and Cas as well as Charlie and Jo’s relationships, not to mention sexualized the easy camaraderie and lifelong friendship they’d all shared.

“We Erians tend to be close-knit,” Charlie said, “Milady. My _wife_ ,” she stressed, “is His Highness, Castiel’s Lieutenant General and second-in-command, just as I am His Majesty’s, so we consider one another family.”

“And we grew up together,” Dean added through gritted teeth, “So we’re practically siblings.”

“Indeed,” Lilith giggled. “It’s a lovely thing, isn’t it? Family?”

“As you say, Milady.”

The tug of Eileen’s fingers brought Sam back to himself and he looked down at her, features arranged into an instinctive scowl.

“What is it?” she asked urgently. “What’re my parents saying?”

It took him a moment to realize that they were too far away for Eileen to read lips. His hair flopped over his face as he shook his head in reluctance, sighing quietly. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, making sure to face her directly. “It’s not important.”

“Sure it isn’t,” she glared at him. “That’s why you’re so upset.” she gestured at the tight grip on her hand that he had and he dropped it instantly.

“Sorry,” he grumbled.

“Sam, I know Alistair and Lilith well enough to know they’re saying something terrible. Tell me.”

“It’s not gonna make a difference,” he said. “You’re just going to be upset for no reason, and to be honest, I don’t want to repeat what they said.”

“Fair enough,” she released his hand and pursed her lips. “But Sam?” she leveled him with a cool, irritated look that was almost chilling in its intensity. “I don’t need you to be my savior. I know my parents, I’ve been dealing with them for the past two decades.”

A sheepish flush heated his neck and he opened his mouth to apologize, but Eileen had already turned away, moving over to join a few of the other Erian women, most of whom Sam recognized as castle staff. She’d been wandering around after he’d shown her the entire place, he recalled, and he was glad to see she seemed to have made some friends there.

Sighing to himself, he grabbed a goblet and filled it to the brim with wine, sipping slowly and cursing under his breath. Of course Eileen didn’t need a savior; she was her own person and could fight her own damned battles. But he wanted to help, wanted to be her friend - in the single day he’d known her, Eileen Leahy had somehow wedged her way beneath his skin and he didn’t know how to process that information.

How could the space of twenty-four hours challenge - and change his perspective - so much?

 _Friends,_ Sam thought, staring into the red thickness of the wine before him, _he’d be her friend at the very least._

*-*-*

Saying goodbye to Alistair and Lilith and their party was, to say the least, very strange. Eileen had spent so many years under their thumb and hiding herself that she couldn't believe she was free. She was still waiting for the other shoe to drop - and it probably would, given that Mildred and the rest of the Resistance were still in her uncle's grasp. She was tense and wound tight, despite the fact that magic was _free_ here, despite the fact that Sam seemed to be a good man who wouldn't force her into anything that she wasn't ready for.

Which was why she sat down to meditate the next morning, soon after her husband had left. He'd smiled shyly and asked her about her plans for the day, even inviting her to join him. But she'd declined, needing to calm her mind first, before she could do anything else.

Alistair and Lilith were gone. She didn't need to keep a tight leash on her magic for fear of being found out, because magic was an industry here.

It was a heady sense of freedom she didn't think she'd ever be able to have.

And yet, it left a bitter taste on her tongue, because the freedom hadn't come without a cost - _her_ family was still in trouble. And Eileen would possibly have to sacrifice her new home for their sake.

Breathing out deeply, she settled down on the top of her bed, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. Her mind was a tangled web of thoughts, which was why it took longer than usual to fall into the familiar breathing pattern of her childhood, a pattern that Mildred had taught her to help centre her magic.

The usual swoop of her belly and the sudden feeling of floating was soothing. Eileen could physically feel the tension melting out of her shoulders as she gave in to her magic, levitating high above her bed. A part of her - distant from the precious, calming centre she was in currently - marveled at the fact that she could _openly_ do this, openly float in air and glow the purple of her aura as all sorcerers did when they were recharging themselves.

About half an hour later, Eileen opened her eyes to a blonde woman, sitting right opposite her, on top of the divan that Sam slept on. Startled, she yelped as she dropped to the bed with a loud thump. A moment later, she sat up with a groan, eyeing the lieutenant general suspiciously.

"Huh," Jo said, _Your control could be better. Isn't meditation supposed to help calm you down?_

Eileen's eyes widened in surprise. _You can sign?_ she asked.

_Cas taught me. It's a neat trick to have up your sleeve in battle._

_Yes, I suppose that's true,_ Eileen replied.

_You still haven't answered my question._

"I..." Eileen could feel the flush spreading down her chest. "I'm a bit out of practice," she admitted. "And my training hasn't always been what it should."

Jo's expression softened. "You're here now, Your Grace," she murmured. "And we of Eria revere magic. Which is why," she got to her feet, nodding at Eileen, "I'm here to take you to the east wing."

"East... Wing?"

"Sam told you about where we check the young ones out? Administer the magic exam?"

Eileen nodded. "And that I would need to subject myself to it, yes."

 _That's where we're heading now._ Jo paused, narrowing dark eyes at Eileen. _That is, as long as you still consent to being tested._

 _Of course,_ Eileen dipped her head.

_You understand why we're cautious?_

"Because my father didn’t tell you about my disability," she leveled Jo with a glare of her own, "I'm not stupid, Milady. I am aware of the hostility between our nations."

"It's not so much your disability as it is the lie," Jo countered. "How are we supposed to trust you with our beloved prince when everything we knew about you from the beginning was a lie? Alistair didn't tell us about your magic, either, did he?"

Eileen was silent as she followed the prime minister's wife out of her chambers, taking the stairs two at a time. "It's a valid concern," she said finally. "But are you saying that you'd have accepted me if my father had come clean? Would Prince Sam have been okay with a defective wife? Would your people?"

She nearly crashed into Jo as the shorter woman came to a stop on the stair below her, looking up at her with a sour expression on her face.

"Accepted?" Jo scowled, "We _still_ haven't accepted this marriage, Milady, and your disability has nothing to do with it. If Alistair had told Dean the truth, then His Majesty would have hesitated, yes. Not because you're deaf, but because you have magic enough that you could pose a serious threat to the well-being of both his brother as well as our country. You think we didn't hesitate to take _this_ deal?"

"You know nothing about me."

"Exactly," Jo said, her voice triumphant. "We know _nothing_ about you, except that you're the princess of Demoin. From what Alistair indicated, we were expecting a quiet, demure princess who'd consented to the marriage because her parents asked it of her. We didn't expect _you_."

 _Someone with her own mind?_ If her hands shook from the bitterness she felt, Eileen couldn't help it.

 _Someone dangerous,_ Jo corrected. _I am sorry about the hostility, but unless you can prove that you aren't out to hurt my brother..._ "You'll find that none of us are ready to openly trust you," she finished out loud.

Before Eileen could respond to that, the blonde woman had already started to walk away, striding down the stairs with purpose. The Demoin woman hurried to follow, her chest constricting with the quiet tension she'd been carrying around since saying yes to this entire charade.

In a way, Jo's reticence was grounding. Certainly, Sam and his family had welcomed her with open arms and it felt good, but it was also strange - what reason would they have to trust a woman who could possibly cause them harm? At the same time, she also chafed at Jo's accusations; she didn't want to hurt Sam, but if it came down to it, she would choose Mildred over her new family without a second thought. The Prime Minister's wife was justified in her caution.

"Incoming!"

Eileen barely registered the violent push Jo administered, throwing her arms upto catch the fireball headed her way. The usual violet glow lit her palms as she cradled the blue-tinged fireball, looking up warily to search for its source.

"I'm sorry!"

Glassy eyes and a trembling lower lip looked familiar, Eileen thought, and shook her head, offering the girl a soft smile.

"It's okay," she said out loud.

"Claire!"

Eileen watched as the child turned towards where the Prince Consort was rushing to them, dark brows drawn into a low scowl on his face.

"I told you not to play with your magic without supervision," Castiel said to the young girl sternly.

"I was just making fireballs," Claire pouted. Her expression turned sulky as she turned back to Eileen, "And she caught it."

Eileen blinked, recognition striking her - this was the girl she'd seen fall off the swing! A tendril of affection uncurled itself in her chest; it wouldn't be the first time she'd seen a young sorcerer eager to use magic, but every time felt like a gift.

"You're lucky she was there," Castiel said. "What if you'd hit someone without magic? You could hurt someone, Claire!"

"I didn't mean to!" Claire protested. The glassy eyes were threatening to spill over, but despite that, there was a defiant jut to her lower lip that indicated that she didn't want to cry in front of them.

So young, Eileen thought, and yet, already so strong. It made her heart ache.

Which was why she drew their attnetion to herself with a soft grunt, and bent down to Claire's level.

"Your... Master?" she looked up at Castiel, who offered a terse nod in confirmation, "Your Master just wants you to be careful, Claire. But it's okay, can I show you something cool with this?" she tossed the fireball in her palms up. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Castiel tense and Jo place a calming hand on his shoulder, but she ignored them both, instead winking at Claire. She held her palms up and summoned it back to herself, catching it neatly and throwing it out again, this time using her fingertips to direct the ball into hovering over them.

"The trick," she said, "is to use your fingers," she demonstrated, twirling her the ends of her index and middle fingers around. Claire's eyes widened as she watched the fireball jump in response, zooming around her golden blonde head to head back to Eileen. The Demoin caught it and then slapped it between her palms. It vanished in a poof of smoke.

"See?" she held her hands out.

"You talk funny," Claire said, in lieu of an answer.

"Claire!" Jo snapped.

"I do," Eileen murmured. "That's because I can't hear anything."

"Really?" Claire exclaimed. "Then how can you understand what I'm saying?!"

"I can read your lips," she said.

"How do you read lips?" Claire's burrow furrowed. "There aren't any letters on them."

"Claire!" Castiel said. "That's enough, you-"

"No," Eileen interrupted, "But your lips move a certain way when you say each word. It's like letters, only for sounds."

"Oh!" Claire leaned forward and looked up at her hopefully, "Can you teach me?"

Eileen smiled. "I've got something better. Would you like to learn a secret language?"

"Really?!"

"See this?" Eileen held her hands out, "I make shapes with my hands - it's a sign language all of its own."

"Show me," Claire demanded.

 _Hello,_ Eileen signed. "That means hello."

The corner of her tongue stuck out as Claire moved her hands to copy Eileen. "Like this?" she asked.

Eileen smiled and nodded. "Exactly."

"Cool!" Claire cheered. "Cas, look!" She turned to her Master and signed hello.

Castiel smiled and nodded. _Hello,_ he signed back.

"You know it too?" Claire said.

"A little bit," Castiel answered. "But not as much as Eileen," he tilted his head towards her.

"Eileen?" Claire turned back, "You'll teach me?"

"Of course I will."

"But only if you get back to working on your spells with the others," Castiel added sternly. "Go on," he gestured behind him.

For the first time, Eileen noticed the row of sorcerers - the eldest of whom looked to be in their late teens - standing around in circles and practicing low spells. A few elder sorcerers stood, watching them closely, clearly supervising them. Her heart jumped at the sight; any magic training she'd ever had was held in secret and the largest gathering of sorcerers she'd ever seen were about half the size of this crowd.

It boggled her mind.

"Fiiiiine," Claire stuck her tongue out and scampered off.

"You'll have to forgive my apprentice," Castiel announced, turning to Eileen. "She's a bit... flighty?"

"She's cute," Eileen shook her head. "You teach all the kids here?"

"Only a few, I'm afraid," Castiel said. "I'm not qualified enough to handle magic education beyond a certain level. My powers are strong but I'm not a very good teacher," he offered them a sheepish smile. 

"Don't sell yourself short, Cas," Jo snorted. "The rugrats love you."

Castiel shrugged. "In any case," he raised an eyebrow at Eileen, "Your raw power is impressive, Milady."

"Told you so," Jo said in a smug tone.

Eileen frowned. "I thought you said 'my control leaves something to be desired'," she quoted.

Jo grinned. _Maybe,_ she signed, _but it takes power to levitate while meditating, and you clearly have that._

A flush crept up the side of her neck and Eileen nodded shyly. "Thank you," she said. "My training in magic hasn't always been what it should be and I..." she shrugged.

"Well, that's why we're here," Castiel said, his expression kind. "To guage your ability. Sam mentioned that you were interested in working with the Sorcerer's Guild as well?" He gestured for them to follow as he walked into the room.

"Yes," Eileen said eagerly. "Regulating magic as an industry can't be easy and I'd like to help anyway I can."

"We'd appreciate it," Castiel said, leading them through rows of sorcerers and their apprentices learning and practicing new spells. Eileen craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of their work, her heart fluttering with excitement.  "But for now," he continued, coming to a stop and turning to face her fully, _I need to know how good you are at magic. Only then can we accept the help you offer._

Cas's face mirrored the same caution she'd seen on Jo and for some reason, it set Eileen at ease. Despite how accepting the Erians were, they weren't stupid. It might eventually make her job harder in the long run, but it was a price she was willing to pay to be able to use her magic freely and maybe work with a few young sorcerers, like Claire.

 _Whenever you're ready, Milord,_ she said, taking up an offensive stance, smiling at him.

*-*-*

Sam climbed up the stairs tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Fucking Walt and Roy and their constant infighting; sure, he'd agreed to listen to the people's grievances every alternate day, but the two men showed up at almost every meeting. And the complaints they brought were never more than Walt accidentally ruining Roy's tomato garden or Roy running over Walt's newly trimmed hedge.

"Eileen?" Sam called out absently, before realizing that she wouldn't be able to hear him. "Idiot," he cursed himself and strode into their chambers, looking for his wife.

A familiar figure was standing at the balcony, staring up at the stars. It seemed to be a recurring thing with her, he mused, reaching out to pat her shoulder.

"Eileen?" he called, prepared for the arm that came flying at him this time, ducking out of the way just in time.

"Sam?"

"We gotta stop meeting like this," he teased her gently, catching her arm and holding it up with a wink. She snorted, pulling out of his grip and turned back to the skies, motioning for him to join her.

"You need to stop startling me," she told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "If you don't wanna get hurt."

"Think you can hurt me, Milady?"

She smirked. "I know I can, Milord."

He chuckled, hesitantly bumping his shoulder against her back. She didn't protest it, instead leaning back lightly into his touch. Warmth emanated from that single point of contact and Sam's belly swooped in nervous excitement.

"How was your day?" he asked. "You were to have your magic tested today, weren't you?"

It was on his mind the whole day. He'd even snapped at Charlie when she brought him blueprints for the new buildings to sign off on. Dean had gotten so exasperated that he'd sent him to the arena to work off some frustration, but even that hadn't helped.

"I'm not sure," Eileen answered. "But Castiel seemed impressed? He's asked me to come to the Council Room tomorrow."

A slow smile spread itself across Sam's face, the tension of the day fleeing. "He called you to the Council Room?" he repeated.

"...yes?"

"He likes you," Sam announced. "And he's impressed with your power."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we're calling a meeting with all the prominent sorcerers in the land tomorrow," he told her. "And Cas is our Court Sorcerer, we can't hold it without him. If he's called you in there, then he's definitely impressed."

He bumped shoulders with her again, feeling his heart clench at the uncertain but shy smile that curved her lips. "Welcome to the family, Milady."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, both of them turning back to the skies. Sam leaned against the railing, allowing himself to breathe in the evening Erian breeze, the smell of fresh grass and a sense of green overtaking his nostrils. Next to him, Eileen sighed, light fingers drumming over the wood.

"Alright?" he asked softly.

She looked at him for a long moment, before shaking her head. "The stars," she said. "They're the same here, but..."

"You miss home?" he murmured.

"Not really," Eileen said. She didn't look at him, but the drumming increased in speed, indicating a nervous tension. "I love Demoin, but it wasn't... it wasn't really my home."

"Then why...?" Sam's face crunched up in confusion.

Eileen remained quiet for such a long time that Sam thought she wasn't going to answer. He was about to tell her that it was alright, that she didn't owe him any answers, when she finally spoke up.

"Home is..." she said haltingly, "Home is where people are?" she paused, "You already know I'm not very close to Alistair or Lilith, but..."

Sam froze. "There's someone you left behind?" He refused to admit to the sudden bubbling of acid in his stomach; he had no right to be jealous.

"A few someones," Eileen muttered. "Don't get me wrong, Sam, you and your family have been very welcoming and I appreciate everything you're doing for me. But..." she shrugged again, bony shoulders rising and falling in a move that's almost nondescript, "I do miss counting constellations with Mildred."

"Mildred?"

"My Master," she said. "Taught me how to do magic, practically raised me."

Sam's heart fluttered at the thought and he sternly pushed away the swoop of delight in his gut. It didn't matter that she wasn't missing a lover back home; he had no right to ask anything of her she wasn't willing to give.

"You know," he said instead, "Dean and I weren't very close to our parents either."

Eileen's brow furrowed. "Oh?" there was curiosity in her tone, but she didn't push, waiting for him to speak.

"Mom and Dad got married too early," he said, swallowing hard as the memories resurfaced. "They were barely out of their teens - Dad was still Prince. It wasn’t long before they had Dean, but the strain of being the royal family was too much on their relationship, especially since Mom’s grandparents weren’t happy with her being Queen. By the time I came around… Mom and Dad went barely a day without fighting.”  

Eileen reached over to grab his palm, patting it gently. “I’m sorry, Sam,” she murmured. “That can’t have been easy.”

Sam shrugged. “We got used to it.” He paused, “Hardest part wasn’t even their fighting… it was waiting for them to split. Dean never wanted to admit it, but I knew, even as a kid, that they weren’t gonna work.”

“…and did they?”

_The hired help, John? My own handmaiden? You couldn’t find anyone more suitable to sleep with?_

_You’re my blacksmith’s daughter, Mary, or have you forgotten how we met?_

“Yes,” Sam couldn’t say anything more. The voices echoed in his ears, taking him back to a time when he’d been about ten years old, hiding behind doors to listen to his parents hissing and yelling at one another in utter disgust.

Eileen seemed to understand. She sighed and leaned back, looking up at the stars again. Their hands were still linked, and Sam jumped at the sudden warmth that passed through his fingers.

"Alistair isn't really my father," Eileen said suddenly. "He's..." 

Sam stiffened. "He's what?" 

"He raised me, along with Lilith," Eileen hastened to add. "But by blood, he's my uncle..." she eyed him carefully. "This won't be a problem, will it, Milord?" she said, her tone neutral. 

"Alistair sent the assassin to kill my Mom, Milady," he spat. "This makes the third lie he's told. How can it _not_ be a problem?"

"Because the people of Demoin have nothing to do with the lies he's fed you," Eileen answered, pulling away. "And it's them you'd be hurting if you re-started the war. Not to mention your own people." She paused and then sighed, "I do apologize, Sam... we just never thought it was a big deal; I've referred to Alistair and Lilith as my parents since I was three years old and they took me in after my parents' deaths. I am the princess, just not directly in line to the throne." 

It was Sam's turn to sigh, running a hand through his long hair as he stared down at her impassive expression. 

"Besides," she added, "Family isn't always... family, right?" She shot him a hopeful smile, still tense, still bracing herself for rejection. 

"Not really," he said finally. "Family don't end in blood." 

The soft smile that broke out on her face made his heart race. "Sounds like there's a story behind that line," she teased. 

"Bobby," he said. "Ellen's husband? They're the ones who looked out for us when Mom and Dad fought." He shrugged, breathing in slowly before continuing, "I guess it doesn't really matter... but," his voice hardened, "anything else we should know? Any more hidden agendas or secrets that Alistair's been hiding? Anything about you that I should be prepared for?" 

"Well," she said, offering him a cheeky smile. "I dunno about my father, but I prefer to sleep in the nude and I masturbate in the bath. What about you, Milord?" 

Sam's face flushed red and she laughed out loud, taking his hand back in hers. Her palms glowed their signature violet as she went back to rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Good to know, Milady," he muttered, pushing away the images and resolutely ignoring the way his pants tightened at the thought. "Good to know." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You want to what now?"

Castiel paused, surveying the room for any signs of support. All the faces staring back at him held uncomfortable, irritated expressions, not that he could blame them. The proposal he was presenting to them was not exactly conventional.

"Bring Milady Eileen on to the Planning Committee," Castiel repeated himself. "I'd like to listen to her input on the Sorcerer's Guild we are constructing."

"Leave aside the fact that she doesn't even know what kind of magic we practice, she has had little to no formal training," Zachariah's voice rose above the din of angry murmurs.

"And Demoin lied to us," Hester added, "Do we really want to trust her with such intimate details about us?"

"Valid concerns," Castiel nodded. "I do not refute any of these claims, only that we can address them one by one." His eyes met Dean's worried gaze from across the room, and he continued, "While Miss Eileen has certainly not had the training you or I have had, Zachariah, the whole point of the Sorcerer's Guild is to take this education further, to see how we may industrialize and legitimize magical study and research as part of our daily lives. Who better to help us decide what to teach than someone without the formal knowledge of what should be conventionally taught?"

Zachariah's expression turned ugly and he opened his mouth to protest, but Castiel forged on. "As for the kind of magic we practice, we would benefit from her perspective, if only because we would be learning a different brand of magic practiced altogether."

"Hester," the younger woman raised an eyebrow at Castiel's guarded tone, "While it was true that King Alistair withheld certain truths from us, Miss Eileen has never openly lied to us or deceived us in any manner. In fact, she confessed to being unaware that her father had resorted to such trickery, and has apologized."

"And you believe her?" Lenore asked incredulously.

"I do," Dean spoke up finally. "It wasn't her fault her dad decided to be a dick."

"They lied!"

" _Alistair_ lied," Dean countered. "Do you really think that I'd let someone I didn't trust marry the future heir of this kingdom?"

_Do you really think I'd let Sammy get hurt?_

Dean didn't say it, but then he didn't need to - everyone in the room were aware of how devoted the two brothers were to one another.

"We understand your concerns," Castiel said quietly. "But if we must gamble with the future of our kingdom - as we have already done with the treaty and this alliance - then let's do it in a way that will further our agenda."

He stopped, meeting the eyes of each of the Council Members one by one, before finally looking at Sam and Eileen, both of whom remained quietly seated at the edge of the room. Eileen was stiff-necked and pale, and Sam himself looked tired and worried, but Castiel could see a strain of hope blinking out of his brother-in-law's eyes.

"Milady Eileen's magic is strong," he announced, "And her control - even without training - is formidable. We'd be stupid to not make use of both, so long as she is willing. I trust her," he nodded at the small, timid smile blossoming on Eileen's face, "And vote aye to having her involved in the Sorcerer's Guild."

"As do I," Dean declared.

"...aye," Hester said reluctantly.

"I don't trust her," Lenore said bluntly. "But..." she hesitated, looking between Castiel and Dean before sighing, "Aye. I trust your judgment."

"Thank you, Lenore," Castiel murmured. "Zachariah?"

"No," the bald man scowled. "I refuse to have a Demoin girl on my Guild."

Dean's expression didn't change, but Castiel knew his husband well enough to know that he was gripping the pommel of his sword tightly below the desk. He held back a scowl of his own and turned to the other Council Members, all of whom were tittering agitatedly and whispering amongst themselves.

"And the rest of you?" he asked.

"You're certain we can trust her?" Joshua asked in a soft voice.

"She's my wife," Sam protested through gritted teeth. "I can't not-"

"Sam."

The younger Winchester fell silent at the coldness of Dean's voice.

"This isn't your decision to make," the king said sternly. "This is for the Council to decide, without influence. For the record," he turned back to the rest of the men and women gathered around the table, "I do trust her. Even if you don't, at least give her the chance to prove herself."

Castiel smiled encouragingly at the rest of them, holding his breath as the vote around the table. One by one, each member voted, a majority of them calling out hesitant ayes, their faces promising retribution if he and Dean turned out to be wrong in their judgement of their newest family member.

"That makes a majority of seven to three," Dean announced at the end of the vote. "Cas?"

Castiel tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Milady Eileen," he called, "Will you consent to being a part of the Guild?"

"I do," she said as Sam repeated the question for her. Castiel frowned; close as he was, she could read his lips much better  but if she was going to be involved in regular sessions from now on, it wouldn't be feasible to have him there all the time. He resolved to get an interpreter as soon as possible.

"And will you uphold the laws of this nation to the best of your ability?" he asked, signing at the same time so Sam wouldn't have to translate. Her smile told him that she appreciated the gesture.

"I will," she answered.

"The Council is choosing to vote aye on our say," he said, "And we choose to trust you. Break that trust, and you will find that the consequences are severe."

"I know, Milord," Eileen said, her voice sure and certain as it rang out within the silence of the hall. "I understand. I will not betray this trust. I intend no harm to any Erian and I only wish to help where I can." She paused, surveying each face, "This is my home now. And I want to be a part of it."

It was the right thing to say; many of the untrusting expressions morphed into ones of sympahty. A foriegn princess having a say in their daily lives obviously wasn't welcome, but a new princess consort to the heir, struggling to fiond her place in her new home, away from everything and everyone she knew... that was a narrative they could sympathize with.

 _Politics,_ Castiel reflected as his husband declared the session ended for the day, _was just a matter of knowing which story to tell._

*-*-*

It was with a heavy heart that Eileen went to meet Charlie the day after the Council meeting. While she had definitely been very conscious of the trust Sam was placing in her, it was sinking in that she was now the Princess Consort - she was responsible for them in a way that Alistair had never allowed her to be in Demoin, despite her station as a princess. Erians, it seemed, took a different approach; being a Princess Consort meant that she was going to be expected to do things, and while it was wonderful to have her worth reaffirmed, it was also terrifying.

Especially when she had no idea what Alistair was going to demand of her.

She scowled at the thought, shaking her head as she stopped in front of the Prime Minister’s office. The doors were open, and the redhead was sitting at her desk, muttering under her breath.

"Charlie?" she called.

"Eileen!" Dropping the paper she was scowling at, Charlie jumped to her feet and motioned for her to come in.

"You asked me to come?" Eileen lingered uncertainly in the doorway, hands fluttering in an impatient manner.

"Yup," Charlie nodded. "I'm going to show you around the city today, if you're up for it. You've been here almost a week and still haven't had anyone take you, so I volunteered."

Eileen felt her lips curve up in a smile. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Ah, it's okay," Charlie waved her hand. "You're saving me from paperwork." She winked at Eileen's chuckle, and then continued, "Before we get going though, I do have a couple things I need you to look at."

"Oh?"

"Cas tested your power levels and found you safe," Charlie said, "You haven't had much formal training, and you're not very familiar with the way we practice magic, so we'd like you to look at some of the study material we prescribe the younger apprentices."

"Is this... I can't use my magic till then?" Eileen's brow furrowed.

"No, no!" Charlie reassured her, "Cas found you perfectly fine and in control, so you're okay to use magic as you want." Her smile turned gentle and cautious as she eyed Eileen, "You won't ever have to curtail your powers here. This isn't a compulsory thing, we'd just like you to be informed, especially if you're getting involved with the Guild."

"That's fair," Eileen nodded. "I'm definitely interested in learning," she added.

"Alright then!" Charlie clapped her hands. "Let's head out, shall we? Since Cas got the Council to approve you, I could take you out to the school construction site, if you're so inclined?"

"I'd love to see it," Eileen said. She stepped outside, waiting for Charlie to close her office and lock it. A moment later, they both walked out, heading down the corridor in the direction of the stables.

"How much work has been done on the school?" Eileen asked. "This is for... the teenagers?"

"As of now," Charlie answered, "Kids apprentice themselves to the sorcerers and undergo personal training with them for a few years, until their Masters deem them ready to practice on their own."

"So there's no formalized graduation," Eileen realized. "Wouldn't each sorcerer's standard differ? With their specializations and all? I could be well-trained with water spells, but that doesn't mean I'm strong enough to take on fire protection."

"Precisely," Charlie snapped her fingers. "While the one-on-one tutoring is definitely the best kind of education they could receive, it also cuts them off from the more generalized aspects of magic training, since they're learning directly from specialists."

"But wouldn't a formalized school also take away the more intimate aspects of learning?"

"Which is why we'd like to build a Guild," Charlie said. "We're looking at a curriculum that teaches basic sorcery to all kids with magic. For those who want to further specialize, they can decide on a specific field - we currently have Necromancy, Pyromancy, Aeromancy, Hydromancy and Terramancy - and then learn from practicing specialists in that field."

"You'd be employing the Guild sorcerers as professors, along with having them sell their services outside," Eileen finished.

"Exactly," Charlie smiled. "They'd regulate the education as well as set up industry standards."

"It sounds amazing," Eileen said honestly. "But very difficult."

Charlie hooted a quick laugh. "Which is why we're very happy for any help we get. Both Sam and Dean told me how impressed they were with your ideas."

A flush crept up the side of her neck. "Well, I don't have much to contribute," she said awkwardly. "I haven't had much formal training myself and my powers are-"

"Don't sell yourself short. Cas wouldn't have pushed the Council to vote on your behalf if he thought you were useless."

"I don't want to let him - or Sam - down," Eileen admitted.

Charlie didn't say anything for a long while, leading her out of the castle. The sun was shining brightly and a number of the castel's residents raised their hands or called out greeting to the Prime Minister, who waved back almost absently.

"You like him, don't you?" she said finally. "Sam?"

The expression on her face was much more closed off than before, guarded in a way she hadn't been up until now.

Eileen paused, before sighing. "I do," she said, "Very much."

"You know he's been hurt before."

"He- what?"

"Oh hell, he didn't tell you?"

"He- I- no?" Eileen flindered.

"Dammit, Sam," Charlie grumbled to herself so that she almost missed that. Finally sighing, she turned to Eileen with an annoyed expression, pausing. "Though to be honest, I'm not surprised he hasn't told you. He avoids talking about Jess the way Dean avoided his bisexuality for years."

"Jess?" Eileen asked, confused, not entirely sure she'd read Charlie's lips right.

"Jessica," Charlie said. "Uh, hang on," she frowned, _J-E-S-S-I-C-A._

"Jessica," Eileen repeated.

"Yeah - sorry about the shitty signing, I'm getting Jo to teach me the basics - but she was his girlfriend for a long time."

"What happened?"

There was a hot, heavy weight in her tummy that Eileen suppressed a scowl at. She had no right to Sam's past, she told herself sternly. That little swoop of jealousy, the tightness in her throat - they could all suck it.

"You should ask him that," Charlie said. "I can't... It's not my place to tell you."

"It's- you can't-"

"All I can tell you was that it didn't end pretty," Charlie interrupted. "Sam's moved on, but..." she offered Eileen a humorless smile, "Please don't hurt him. I know Jo's already threatened you, but I'm asking."

Eileen blinked. "I have no intention of hurting him. I told you, I like him."

The redhead's stormy expression turned sunny and she reached out to squeeze Eileen's shoulder gently. "Good," she said. "Because I can tell - he definitely likes you."

Before the stunned Demoin princess could form a response, she'd bounded away, jumping over to where the horses were tied up. And Eileen could only follow, her heart thundering at the idea that Sam liked her too.

*-*-*

The month following the Council was so busy, Sam barely had any time to breathe at all. With winter on its way, construction of the school was picking up, so the workers could get a majority of the work out of the way before it became too cold. Between overseeing that and navigating the internal politics of putting together a Sorcerer's Guild, he seemed to be constantly putting out one fire after another.

But despite the fights and the hiccups, it was all coming together like a well-oiled machine. Both he and Charlie had thrown themselves into the project, focusing on the non-magical, more practical aspect of things while Cas and Eileen struggled with syllabus and rules and the like.

It was an exhilarating experience.

Every morning, he and Eileen would have breakfast together, following which they split for the day, each of them heading to a different part of the castle. Cas had roped Eileen into magic training and syllabus building at the same time - she was a live test subject, she'd joked, soon after her first session with their brother-in-law.

"But you're okay with it?" he'd asked anxiously.

Her face had softened and she reached out to pat his arm. "I'm loving it," she admitted. He'd smiled and thrown his arms around her, pulling her in close for a quick hug.

"Uh-"

Soft hands fumbled over his back, and Sam quickly pulled away, turning red in mortification.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, "Sorry, I'm just-  Charlie and Jo always - I just-"

"Sam," she interrupted, "It's alright."

He shot her a sheepish smile and she'd chuckled back, leaning in to bury her face in his chest. Hesitant hands rose to curl against his tunic, and Sam had sighed, hugging her back tightly, marveling at the way he could just tuck her head beneath his chin.

He'd gone to bed that night with the image of her soft smile behind his eyes. Needless to say, his dreams had not been kind - the hard-on he woke up with the next day was a clear indication of just _how_ much he liked the height difference between them.  

But it wasn't just how pretty she was that attracted him to her. She was passionate and fierce, throwing herself into everything she did wholeheartedly. Both Cas and Dean had been impressed by how fast she was learning Erian sorcery. And he himself had seen evidence of her intelligence in the Council meetings, where she argued her way through syllabus building without so much as breaking a sweat.

Sighing, he climbed up the stairs, heading back to their chambers. She wasn't back yet, he saw, as he walked inside. Dumping the scrolls he was carrying on to the bed, he headed into the bathroom, intent on a long, hot soak to soothe his tired muscles.

The sound of the water running was soothing, and it wasn't long before the steam was fogging up the mirror on the wall opposite to the giant, claw-footed tub. Sam groaned, allowing himself to sink into the hot water, becoming boneless against porcelain. He stared into the bubbled surface, allowing his mind to wander over the events of the past few weeks.

While they didn't always spend every day together, they often had common meetings, with the Council as well as what was fast becoming the core of the Guild, all of whom were nothing if not traditional. The fact that the government was stepping to regulate them was, by itself, something that chafed most sorcerers - that a _foreign_ princess was in a position of such power was something that none of them were happy about, no matter how sensible her suggestions.

But Eileen didn't back down. She was aware of her position as an outsider, but she used it instead of abusing it, and it impressed him to no end. She spent hours in the library, poring over the history of Erian magic, and based many of her suggestions on that, instead of prescribing magic of her own.

In short, she was brilliant, passionate and beautiful - Sam didn't know how, but somehow, she was fast becoming more than just the woman he was attracted to. She was becoming his friend and his wife, and it was a terrifying prospect.

So lost was he in thought, he didn't hear the sound of the doors opening. It wasn't until Eileen let out a shrill scream that he looked up, a dark flush spreading down the length of his torso as he froze, taking in the sight of her in front of him.

 _God,_ she was beautiful.

The white shift she wore was tiny, barely covering anything. Her long legs were bared to his hungry gaze, long hair flowing across pale shoulders to rest below the gentle swell of perfectly-rounded breasts. Her eyes were wide as saucers, the chocolate color of them shining in the dim light, even as her cheek turned a bright red.

Sam bit his lower lip, turning away instantly. He was glad right then that he'd taken the time to throw bubbles into the tub - they were doing a good job of hiding the way his lowers were responding to his wife - his wife, whom he had promised not to ever force into anything.

"So-sorry!" he yelped, forcing himself to look at her face so she could read his lips. "I didn't hear you!"

There was a moment of silence in which both of them stared at one another, frozen. Sam's heart thundered; god, she was so fucking gorgeous, and all he wanted was to grab her and pull her into the tub with him. And the weird thing was, he didn't even want to do anything beyond that, despite the hardness poking at his thigh. He just wanted to hold her.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Eileen said finally. The corner of her lips lifted in a tiny smile, and Sam blinked.

"Did you just-"

They both burst out laughing at the same moment, the sound echoing around the bathroom in a proclamation of delight. Eileen was the first to stop, winking at him as she grabbed the towel laid out on the side and wrapping it around herself. It still didn't cover much, but it distracted him enough that he could look at her without turning red now.

"Sorry," she said, "I didn't realize you were back already. I'll wait outside."

“Okay,” Sam nodded. “I should be out soon.”

She shot him a wink, and _nope_ , he was red again, watching her saunter away back into their chambers, chuckling softly to herself. Sam let out a frustrated sigh, clenching his eyes shut as he tried to think of anything but the way her hips swayed.

_Walking in on Dean and Cas making out, dead animal parts for Bobby’s spells, Charlie’s angry face -_

The erection wasn’t fading.

Eileen’s seductive smile bloomed bright behind his eyelids and Sam groaned. His hands wandered to his thighs, scratching the rough, sensitive skin there, bleeding red marks on to the inside of his calves. Would Eileen him touch him that way? Would the same gentle but firm manner he’d seen her use in public move over to the bedroom too?

“Oh,” he moaned, brushing his fingers over the tip of his swollen cock. He was dripping already, flushed red, skin too tight. For a moment, he paused, looking down at himself, and allowing himself to picture what his wife would look like.

 _Sam!_ Her head thrown back, her eyes wide as she took her pleasure unapologetically, tightening around him as he pulled at a nipple, leaning up to kiss her sweetly -

No.

Sam growled low in his throat and yanked at his cock harshly, jerking himself off without any mercy. The image of Eileen - wearing nothing but that shift - refused to fade, but he tried not to enjoy it too much as he came all over his hand. She was his wife, but they weren’t _together_ , and he shouldn’t be using her for his pleasure like this.

The arousal faded, taking with it what little energy he had. It had been a long day and suddenly, all he wanted was to drop into bed and not think. Forcing himself to stand on shaky legs, he quickly cleaned, draining the tub before slipping into a comfortable night-time tunic and walking out.

Eileen was seated on the bed, absorbed with the scroll she was holding. She’d gotten dressed - _oh, thank god_ \- and sheafs of paper and parchment surrounded her where she was frowning through golden-rimmed glasses at the sheet in front of her.

And this right here - the way his heart was racing, the way his chest felt so very tight… this was exactly what Sam had wanted to avoid. It wasn’t new, this feeling, but it terrified him far worse than before.

“Eileen,” he waved his hand in front of her to get her attention, stepping closer. It took a moment, but she looked up, her expression startling for a second before she smiled at him.

“Sam!”

“Bathroom’s free,” he said. “If you’d like to -” he gestured behind him.

“Sorry about before,” she said, gathering the sheets up and dumping them to one side of the bed. “I didn’t realize you were inside.”

“It’s alright,” he shook his head. “What’re you working on?”

“Castiel got some of the sorcerers to write up lesson plans,” she said, “They don’t always structure the way they teach, but they do tend to have a system. I’m looking through what they’ve given us so far to see if can use or improve what they’re already doing.”

“I assume they’re the ones whose apprentices have already started practicing on their own?” Sam asked, sitting down across her.

“Yes,” she tilted her head. “There’s Inias, Hester, Rachel and a couple of others who work at the castle, but Castiel was careful to choose specialists from all over Eria so that we’d have a wide variety of magics to work with and be inclusive of all regions.” she looked up at him with a rueful smile, “Castiel is quite the skilled politician,” she muttered.

Sam hooted out a laugh. “Now,” he answered. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d met him a couple years ago.”

“Oh?”

“Why do you think he refuses to be more than the Prince Consort?” Sam said. “Cas is one of the most impolitical people I know; he hates the misdirection and the subtext that comes with being a ruler. Took him Dean a long time to convince him that he’d make a good ruler. It was one of the biggest reasons he was hesitant to get married in the first place.”

“Then why did he take it up?” There was a guarded look in Eileen’s eyes as they met his own. “If he doesn’t like being a ruler, why did he accept your brother’s hand?”

“Because he loved him,” Sam shrugged. “As simple as that.”

“Love can’t solve everything, Sam,” Eileen’s voice turned agitated. “You, of all people, should know that.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked sharply.

“It doesn’t matter,” she stood up abruptly, pushing the scroll to the side. “I’m going to go take a bath, if you’ll excuse-”

“Eileen,” Sam caught her arm and tugged. She turned back around, her expression still guarded. Their eyes met, and sudden understanding flashed.

“You know about Jess,” he stated.

Eileen hesitated, and then nodded tightly. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’ve known for a while, I just…” she offered a helpless shrug, “I’m being silly, I know.”

“Who told you?” he asked.

“Charlie,” she said. “A few weeks ago, soon after I came to Eria.”

“You’ve known- why didn’t you say anything?” he said, surprised.

“Because I thought you would tell me yourself. I know I’m not entitled to your past, Sam, and I just…” she fell quiet for a long moment, before finally sighing, “I thought we were friends at least.”

Oh _shit_. Sam’s heart squeezed so tight, he could hardly breathe.

“We are,” he reassured her. “We definitely are. I just…” it was his turn to shrug, “Jess was a part of my life that I want to forget, Eileen. I didn’t mean to hide anything, I just… don’t talk about her. At all.”

“Are you still in love with her?” she asked bluntly. “I won’t be mad if you are, I just need to know.”

“Why?” he barked.

“You just said we were friends,” she pointed out. “If I’m your friend, Sam… if you’re serious about that, then tell me so I can help you… And,” she whispered, “If my husband is in love with another woman, the least I’d like is to know about it.”

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin. She didn’t protest, hugging him back tightly, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say that she was almost clinging to him, as though afraid of losing him.

“I’m not in love with her,” he whispered back. Eileen didn’t respond, and it took him a moment to realize it was because she couldn’t hear him. Reluctantly pulling back, he pulled her down, both of them flopping to the couch with a soft thud.

“I’m not in love with Jess,” he repeated, making sure to face so she could read his lips properly. “She was… a long time ago.”

“What happened?” Eileen asked quietly.

“Jess was… we were young,” he said. “We wanted to see the world, travel, learn. For a while, it looked like we might get everything we dreamed of. But…” he trailed off, with a sigh, watching as Eileen took his palm in hers.

“But?”

“Dean came out as bisexual,” Sam said. “Declared that he was in love with Cas.”

“And your father wasn’t okay with that?”

“If it was just a question of Dean being in love with him, maybe it wouldn’t have been,” Sam responded. “But Dean wanted to marry Cas, and that wasn’t… it couldn’t happen.”

“So you stayed to support your brother,” Eileen realized.

He nodded. “I couldn’t leave Dean on his own, not after everything he’d done for me. It was one thing after another, though, Dean’s bisexuality and then his wedding to Cas, and then the northern borders were under attack by Alistair’s allies, and then Dad died… Dean didn’t want me to be his heir, but by then Jess had already made her mind up that we weren’t happening. So… I said yes,” he shrugged.

Eileen didn’t say anything, but her thumb continued to run soft circles on the back of his hand. Gently, she reached up to palm one cheek and place a soft kiss on the other, pulling back with a small smile. “Thank you for telling me,” she murmured. “And I’m sorry for being so pushy.”

“No,” he said. “You deserve to know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Silence fell between them, not entirely comfortable, but not entirely uncomfortable either. Eileen’s fingers continued to trace circles into his palm, and Sam’s chest tightened with a sense of peace that he hadn’t had in a long while.

“Oh,” he murmured, “I almost forgot.”

She shot him a questioning look as he reached beyond her to grab at his forgotten satchel, lying on the ground. Yanking out the rolled up parchment, he handed it to her, eyeing the Demoin seal on it critically.

“This came for you today,” he said. “I believe it’s a letter from your parents.”

Her eyes went round and wide. She grabbed the scroll and held it tightly, her lips pursed as her expression turned more guarded than it was a second ago. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“You… you’re not- reading it?”

“Not right now,” she said. “Later.”

Without another word, she stood up, moving over to press the scroll into her own bag with the rest of the scrolls and parchments she’d been working on earlier. Sam watched, trying to ignore the tightness of his chest; he may have shared a big part of himself with her tonight, but that didn’t mean that she had to do the same, did it?

As though sensing his inner turmoil, Eileen turned back round and offered him a small smile. “It’s getting late, Sam,” she said. “I’m going to finish my bath. You should get some rest.” The open, honest expression was back on her face, and Sam felt the tension in his shoulders fade away as he nodded.

“Okay,” he said, watching her putter about the room to pick up her things. “G’night, Milady.”

“Goodnight, Sam.”

The bathroom door swung shut behind her. Sam stared at it for a long moment, the thud-thud of his own heartbeat echoing loud in his ears, before sighing and moving over to his own bed, getting under the covers, the truth offering itself up to him from the corner of his mind where it had been ruminating for a while now.

The last time he’d felt this tightness in his chest, it hadn’t ended so well for him. This time, though… He was falling in love with his _wife_.

And he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Eileen stretched and yawned, blinking open tired eyes to stare out at her husband blearily. "You're up early," she commented, watching in amusement as he whirled around, startled. 

"Charlie and I are meeting with the farmers today," he said. "Winter's coming, so we need to get the harvest ready."

"You're not going to be at the building site today then?" she asked with a frown.

"I may pop in later on," he said. "But I dunno how long the farmers will keep us." He paused and then offered her a small smile. "Sorry I can't stay for breakfast, I was gonna leave a note," he waved the piece of paper he was holding at her.

Eileen couldn't help the smile that her lips curved into. "I understand," she said, "And I appreciate that."

He moved forward, bending down to take her hand. "Eileen, I-uh..." he swallowed hard, "I just..."

"Sam?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head quickly. Leaning in, he hesitated, as though waiting for something. It took her a moment to realize what he wanted, and before she knew it, she was leaning up to meet him halfway, kissing his cheek gently and hugging him back.

"I'll see you later," he always made sure to look at her directly when he spoke, and shit, it should not make her belly flip-flop the way it did.

"Have a good day, Sam," she echoed him. He shot her a smile and turned to grab his bags, and she licked her lips at the way his shoulders flexed, watching as he walked out, stride powerful and all man.

Swallowing the soft groan that rose up, Eileen let her hands wander down her form, head falling back. Her eyes closed half-mast as she gently cupped her breasts through the soft material of her shift, massaging them as slowly as she could. It was early morning, damn it, and she was horny. The sight of Sam’s shoulders reminded her of last night, when she’d walked in and gotten a glorious glimpse of them naked.

She clenched her thighs for a moment, allowing her mind to wander back. How would it feel for Sam to be the one pulling at her nipples? Would he mouth her through the fabric of the shift? Or would he rip it off of her, engulfing her into the hot wetness of his mouth? _He’d reach up and kiss her,_ she decided, but also pull at her clit at the same moment so she’d arch into him - for all that Sam was sweet, there was a sense of wicked sensuality about him that she couldn’t completely deny.

And god, did it appeal to her; she could feel the wetness beginning to pool and she unclenched her thighs, letting out a soft sigh. Pulling the straps down, she reached behind herself to unfasten her shift, moaning when her nipples peaked into the cool, early morning air. She savored the way they tightened to sharp points, both from the cold and the arousal, a shiver running through her spine.

“Sa-Sam,” she mouthed, feeling the rumble of the moan light her from the inside. One hand wandered down to her pussy - which was dripping by now - and slowly rubbed the inside of her folds, tracing the shape of her inner lips. The other hand cupped a breast and thumbed the nipple in circles, setting up a counter rhythm that had her toes curling in moments.

He’d indulge her first, she imagined, rubbing her clit with purpose and nuzzling at her breasts with a stubble-roughened cheek until she came with a soft cry. When she was pleasure-drunk and breathing heavily, he’d slip into her, slow and steady and fuck her with the same, single-minded passion he took on the world with. She’d wrap her legs around those powerful hips and roll them over, riding him for all she was worth, plucking at her own nipples as he watched her take her pleasure without apology -

The hot rush of wetness was welcome and Eileen sighed, rubbing her hand on the shift to clean it. She sank into the warm fluffiness of her pillows for a long moment, purposely keeping her mind blank, focusing only on the warm buzz still tingling through her veins. Closing her eyes, she pictured Sam’s goofy smile and his warm hug and knew the smile on her face was from more than just the orgasm she’d just had.

**_Mildred sends her regards._ **

The words - written in those beautiful, neat letters that belied their sinister meaning - flashed behind her eyes and Eileen jumped, scowling. The last of the pleasurable buzz faded away and she yanked the sheets off of the bed in irritation, stomping into the bathroom to clean up evidence of her morning fun. She couldn’t - _wouldn’t_ \- think about it right now, not when she had a full day ahead of her.

A hot bath, some food and a couple of friendly hellos later, she was feeling much better. The castle staff were beginning to recognize and integrate her into their fold; Ellen had even asked her to lend a hand in the daily cooking, and though Eileen wasn’t necessarily the best in the kitchen, she’d accepted eagerly, simply for the sake of spending time with the elder woman. She didn’t need to be a genius to see how important Ellen was to Sam.

Claire’s excited smile greeted her at the front of the castle when Eileen stepped out, and she grinned back, waving. The blonde raced over to offer her a hug, and signed a happy hello the minute she pulled back.

 _And how are you today?_ Eileen said. It felt good to speak her native instead of having to read lips for once.

 _I’m good!_ she chirped, _you?_

 _I’m good too,_ she said, _you ready to head to the market today, then?_

 _Yes!_ Claire clapped her hands together. _What are we bu-buy...buying?_ Her hands paused, and Eileen gently corrected her. The blonde stuck her tongue out, frowning as she reformed the words with her hands and Eileen nodded, winking at her. She was proving to be an excellent student, eager to learn and never afraid to ask questions.

“We’re going to be buying supplies,” Eileen replied. “Your uncle’s given me a list of things he wants us to get.”

“If Uncle Cas gave you a list, then it’s mostly just supplies for magic, isn’t it?” said Claire.

"Yup," said Eileen. "Though he has asked to requisition supplies for the army as well." She looked down at the younger girl and smiled, "Have you met many of the soldiers?"

"Nuh-uh," Claire shook her head. "Uncle Cas and Aunty Jo don't let me on the arena," she made a face. "They think I'm too young."

Eileen chuckled. _I learned to fight when I was about your age,_ she said.

"Really?" Claire breathed. "That's so cool!" Looking around furtively, she gestured for Eileen to come closer and then paused. Shifting to sign language, she continued, _I heard Uncle Cas speak to my Daddy about..._ "training?" _...but Daddy didn't..._ "Agree?" she looked up at Eileen with a frown.

The Princess Consort quickly showed her the words she didn't know. Claire caught on quickly and repeated them, glaring at her hands as though they were responsible for her father's over-protectiveness.

"Well, your Daddy just wants what's best for you," Eileen said. Claire snorted, and for a moment, she was taken back to her own childhood, begging Mildred to train her.

**_Mildred was very happy to hear that you have settled into your duties as the prince's wife._ **

Forcing the images of the letter away, Eileen looked down at Claire, who was still speaking.

"-a kid!" she snapped. "I'm not some dumb kid. Aunty Eileen?"

Eileen blinked. Sure, Claire was her niece by marriage - by virtue of the fact that her father was Cas's brother and Cas was her brother-in-law - but it was still weird being called that.

"Hmmm?"

_Will you teach me to fight?_

Eileen hesitated and then shook her head. _I'm not so sure your Dad and your Uncle would be okay with that. But,_ she continued at Claire's pout, _I could talk to your Uncle about it._ It'd be a good way to meet Jimmy, whom both Claire and Cas often complained about. 

"Really?" Claire clapped her hands. "You will?"

"Really," Eileen echoed. "Now, come, show me where we can get these things, I'm not entirely familiar with the streets of Eria yet." She waved the piece of parchment that Cas had given her yesterday at Claire and the younger girl grabbed it, perusing it with a frown.

 _This way,_ she signed, tucking the parchment into the satchel hanging around her waist. She offered her hand with a shy smile and Eileen's heart squeezed as she took it.

**_Remember where your loyalties lay, m'dear._ **

*-*-*

They were at the apothecary when it happened. Claire had wandered off into the depths of the store, fascinated by the many titles of Potions books, while Eileen was going through Castiel's list of required supplies. The owner - a man named Edgar - was an altogether unpleasant individual who eyed her suspiciously when she requested newt's eye and dragonflower in large quantities, but the parchment she held bore the Royal Insignia and he couldn't exactly deny her.

That didn't mean he liked her, however. "It's gonna cost you more than that," he snarled, as she held up the change.

Eileen frowned. "Could you slow down, please?" she asked politely. "I'm afraid I didn't catch that."

"Bloody foreigners," Edgar muttered. Eileen pursed her lips but didn't say anything, as he repeated himself, "It's goooooing to - cost mooooore - than that." He drew out his words, sneering at her, and Eileen breathed in deeply, ignoring the way the back of her neck prickled in irritation.

"Well, if that's the case," she said, "You will have to take it up with the Court Sorcerer, since _he's_ the one who sent me here to requisition these. And," she added as he opened his mouth to argue, "You can ask _him_ for a higher price."

Edgar's mouth snapped shut, his eyes narrowing at her. Eileen turned, ignoring his glare, and called, "Claire? Honey? Where are you?”

She made her way to the back of the store, between the racks. Claire was at the very end, eagerly skimming through a thick tome. "Claire, we need to go," she said. The blonde looked up, about to say something, before her excited expression morphed into one of fear and she pointed behind Eileen with a loud yell.

The brunette whirled around, only to catch a glimpse of someone collapsing in the storefront. “Claire!” she snapped, “Come on!”

Racing forward, she went back to the front to see that a young woman, maybe a few years older than Claire herself, was lying in front of Edgar's counter. The store owner was bent over her with a scowl, shaking her rather harshly in an attempt to wake her.

"What happened to her?" Eileen snapped, going down on her knees before the girl. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a tight pony, revealing a pale forehead that was beading with sweat, despite the cool morning air. Edgar looked up, turning his sour glare on to Eileen, but she didn't flinch, meeting his gaze steadily.

"I don't know," he said. "One minute I was ringing up her purchase and the next, she was lying on the floor!"

Eileen bent over the girl, gently wiping away her forehead before patting her cheek in an attempt to wake her up. There was no response - as she expected - and she took her hand, quickly catching the elevated pulse. Her fingers were swollen, she noted, breath coming in gasps through blue-tinged lips, and quickly, she turned her arm over to find the two bite marks that she'd been expecting.

"Bitten," she murmured. Looking up, she repeated herself a bit more loudly, "She's been bitten by something."

"Nothing in my shop is gonna bite her!" Edgar snapped. "Are you saying that I don't train my animals?"

"Look at her arm," said Eileen, "These are clearly bite marks. She's pale and sweating, and her lips are blue - clearly a sign of some kind of poison. We need to get her help right now."

Edgar's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he scowled and began to say something. Eileen didn't bother to try and read his lips, instead turning to Claire, who was watching with a frightened expression on her face.

"Claire," she said as sternly as she could. "I need you to go and get your uncle immediately, okay?"

"Aunt Eileen- that's Alex - I want to help-" she blabbered. Or at least that's Eileen thought she said, but it didn't matter right now in any case. 

"And you are," said Eileen. "Please go get your uncle. Tell him what I said, and I'll keep an eye on her."

"She's my friend." Claire's eyes were glassy with the hint of tears.

Eileen patted her on the shoulder and nodded. "She's going to be fine. But you need to go get your uncle so he can make sure she is."

"Okay, Aunty Eileen," Claire nodded. "I'll be back." Without another word, she scurried out of the store, her shoulders pulled back in a defiant manner. For a second, her chest tightened with an absurd sense of pride, before she turned her attention back to the young girl - _Alex?_ she wasn't sure she'd read the name right - who was breathing heavily now. Her lips had gone from a pale blue to a much darker color - whatever the poison was, it was fast-acting. She needed to do something _now_.

"A stasis spell," she said. "It'll halt the blood-flow, but I can't hold it long."

"What?" Edgar snapped.

A crowd was beginning to gather around them, people pointing and whispering through the doorway and from outside. The store itself was too small to fit many of them, but that didn't prevent them from standing in a circle at the entrance to see what was going on. Eileen ignored all of them and leaned back, murmuring the spell under her breath. Even through closed eyes, she could see the violet glow lighting up her palms and she leaned over to place her hands on the girl's chest -

\- only to be stopped by a harsh, powerful grip wrapping itself around both her wrists. Her eyes flew open to come face-to-face with Zachariah.

"What do you think you are doing?" he growled, throwing her hands back.

Eileen winced, meeting his gaze defiantly. "I'm trying to help her," she snapped back. "She's been poisoned by some kind of animal bite-"

"And you decided to just cast a spell on her?"

"I'm trying to keep her in stasis, to stop her blood-flow until Castiel gets here-"

"No," Zachariah cut in. "You're not doing anything with... your dirty magic." He cast a look at her still-glowing hands, and Eileen snatched them back, a flush spreading down her neck. Murmuring under her breath, she muted the spell, and the glow faded, but the thrum of magic still buzzed through her veins.

"I just want to help," she shrugged helplessly.

As though on cue, the girl began to wheeze, pitiful noises escaping her too-dark lips in succession.

"Look, she needs-"

Another strong hand clasped her shoulder and pulled her away from the girl on the floor. Eileen stumbled back, whirling around to find a big, burly man in a long, black coat frowning at her. He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place him as she pushed him off with a scowl and he raised a startled eyebrow at her. She opened her mouth to protest when Zachariah pushed past her to yell something at him. Her heart raced as the burly man's expression went from confused to grim to angry, and she swallowed hard, turning to face the crowd.

Nearly all of them had tight expressions on their faces. She couldn't hear their whispers, of course, but the few words she caught were along the lines of dirty, foreigner, magic. She turned away, shame pricking her spine, unable to meet any of their accusatory eyes.

**_Do right by your home, daughter, and we will reward you richly._ **

Alistair had been right. She didn't belong here, no matter how welcoming the people in the castle were.

Taking in a shuddering breath, she stiffened her shoulders, whirling back to face them. She opened her mouth to protest as the burly man grabbed her wrist, when a familiar, golden head squeezed in between the throngs of people standing outside the doors.

"Aunty Eileen!" Claire ran into her. Small, skinny arms wrapped themselves round Eileen's waist, and she dropped to her knees to hug the young girl to her chest. She was shaking, she was startled to realize, as Claire's tiny hands patted her cheeks.

"What's going on here?"

The sight of Castiel's wind-swept hair and billowing robe was so welcome, Eileen nearly cried. She was about to push Claire aside so she could talk to her brother-in-law when the young girl tightened her grip around Eileen’s tunic. She looked down to see wide blue eyes staring out at the other girl’s seizing form, tearing up, and with a sigh, she stood, picking Claire up and settling her on her hip.

“Castiel,” she said.

The Court Sorcerer frowned, pushing aside the burly man to step forward. _What’s going on?_ he asked. Before he could reply, though, he noticed the girl on the floor, and dropped to his knees, taking her hand. Eileen could only watch as he murmured the same spell _she’d_ been about to cast and then bent down, picking her up with both hands bridal style.

“Cas-” the burly man began.

“Not now, Benny,” Castiel snapped, or that’s what Eileen thought he said. The burly man - _Benny?_ \- stepped back with a look of chagrin on his face. “Eileen,” Castiel turned and made sure to look steadily at her while he spoke, “Come with me, please.”

She nodded and followed him out, still carrying Claire on her hip. The little girl had her face buried into her shoulder now, crying quietly from the fear and the adrenalin, and Eileen ran a gentle hand through her golden hair, her own shaking steadying in the face of comforting someone else.

Castiel strode briskly through the town square, leading them straight to a tall building, painted an off-gold with a giant caduceus symbol on the side. Eileen recognized it as one of the Healing Centres of the city. The sorcerer led them through the winding corridors, the crowds parting easily to make way for them without any question whatsoever. she barely caught a glimpse of the smaller healers before they were in the middle of a much bigger room. He lay the girl down on one of the beds, and straightened up, gesturing to a tall, thin man lurking around the corner of the room.

“...poisoned - danger - healer -”

Eileen caught only a few words of the conversation, but it was enough to know that Castiel was arranging for some kind of healing for the girl. Claire pinched her cheek and she turned to look at her niece, who kicked her gently, indicated she wanted to be set down. Slithering down her side, she ran past her uncle to sit at the girl’s side, sniffling quietly.

“Eileen,” Castiel patted her arm to get her attention. _What happened?_

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “One moment I was getting potions supplies and the next, she was lying there and I was trying a stasis spell to stop the poison.”

His brow furrowed. “I see,” he said. “Do you know what bit her?”

She shook her head. “I don’t. I saw only the bite mark, but her lips were turning blue much faster than I expected, so I thought it might be wise to stem her blood-flow.”

Castiel’s attention was drawn to the thin man who came back and said something too fast for Eileen to catch. The sorcerer paused and then gestured to her; right now, shaken as she was, the movement felt pricked, as though they had to be reminded of her existence. She swallowed hard.

“I said,” the thin man repeated, “that that was a great idea. The stasis spell stopped the poison from getting to her heart, it saved her life.”

“But I didn’t do it,” she muttered. “ _You_ did.”

“Because… they wouldn’t let you?” Castiel peered at her through blue eyes that were all too knowing. Eileen flushed and remained silent, refusing to answer. He sighed, _Could you please let,_ “Garth,” _know what exactly happened so they can work out which antidote to provide?_

_Of course._

It took only a few minutes to summarize the whole incident. Eileen glossed over the unpleasant bits, including Edgar’s sneers and Zachariah’s name-calling, but she could that Castiel saw right through it. His expression tightened, brows drawing together in an angry scowl.

“I’m going back to the castle,” Eileen announced the moment Garth was gone. 

Castiel looked at her, scowling. “Eileen-” he began.

“Will she be alright?” she cut him off, nodding at the girl behind them.

“I believe so,” he said. “Garth has gone to fetch the healers working with animal poison to help. So long as we identify the source of the bite, we should be able to administer the antidote fairly easily.”

 _Good,_ she said. _Then I’m heading back. Is Claire coming?_

Castiel glanced back at his niece, who was still sitting rigidly next to her friend, bent down over her bed. _I’ll bring her home,_ he said, _when I get back. Are you certain you don’t want to stay?_

 _You have it under control,_ she said. _You don’t really need my help, do you?_

_Eileen-_

_I shall see you back at home, Castiel._ She made sure to keep the movement of her hands firm, and Castiel eyed her for a long moment before nodding reluctantly and stepping aside.

“Of course, Milady,” he said. “Please let Sam and Dean know what happened and that I will be late to dinner tonight.”

“I will,” she said. Before she could second-guess herself, she stepped out, walking down the corridor and out of the Healing Centre without a backward glance. Outside, she saw Zachariah, Edgar and the burly man waiting at the gates, with a bunch of the same crowd from before. Benny moved forward when he saw her, a worried expression on his face. She finally recognized him - he was the lord who'd housed the entire Demoin party during the wedding. 

“Cherie-” he said, or something close to it, but Eileen was suddenly out of patience. She ignored him, and head held high, met Zachariah’s angry scowl without flinching, walking straight in between them, giving the crowd no choice but to part for her. Refusing to let her shoulders shake, she bit her lower lip and strode out of the square, hardening herself to the very visible whispers and pointed glares. She was no longer part of the Demoin party, but being a foreigner had never chafed this much. 

**_Do what you must, daughter. If you must be cursed with the power of the Devil, then make use of it for the good of your people._ **

It seemed, then, that her powers were a curse no matter where she went. Swallowing the sob that rose up her throat, she waited until she was out of sight of the major crowd and then fled.

*-*-*

It took Sam less than an hour to find her. If not for the fact that he was so worried, he might even allow himself to feel proud of how well he was getting to know her. As it was, his belly churned with a quicksilver of something familiar before he squished it, heading straight for the magic arena. A few of the sorcerers were in their private offices, but most of the rooms were empty and Sam was grateful for it because he could talk to his wife without worrying about the castle gossip.

As he'd thought, Eileen was in Cas's private office. Their brother-in-law barely used this space, given that he shared another, bigger room with Dean on the far end of the castle, so Eileen had made it her work-space in the past couple of weeks. The target doll Cas kept in his office was singed and grey, but violet fireballs still floated atop her shaking palms as she hurled them at the dummy's face without pause.

Bracing himself, he reached out to gently pat her shoulder to get her attention. As expected, she hurled a fireball at him as she whirled around with a snarl, and he ducked easily, straightening up with a hesitant smile.

"We have _got_ to stop meeting like this," he said.

"What do you want, Sam?" she said tightly.

"I just wanted to check up on you. I met Cas and Benny on my way back and they told me what happened."

"So you came to see if the foreign princess has hurt someone?" she spat out.

Silence fell between them, Sam refusing to answer but also refusing to look away. Eileen was the one to finally break it, sighing quietly and then clenching her fists, putting out the fireballs.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "That was uncalled for."

"No," Sam said. "It wasn't," he paused, and then added, "I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened."

"They're not wrong though," Eileen said. Her eyes were suspiciously bright. "I _am_ a foreign princess. For all that they knew, I could've hurt that girl."

Sam didn't respond; no matter how much he wanted to protest it, the truth was that Eileen would have to prove herself to his people, especially since her homeland had been at war with them less than two months previously. The few Demoin who lived around the area had faced the same hostility, no matter how much he and Dean had tried to get the people to stop being racist dicks. 

"Cas is looking into Edgar's shop," he said in lieu of an answer. "Alex shouldn't have collapsed like that, no matter what. And this isn't the first time Edgar's been up to something shady."

Eileen smiled wanly. "That's good," she said. Swallowing hard, she dropped into the chair behind Cas's - hers - desk, ignoring the many pieces of parchment and plans she'd been drawing up for the Guild that littered the top of the wood. She hesitated, and then forged on, "Sam? Do you think the people will ever accept that I am not my father's daughter? That I want to use my magic to _help_?"

Sam's heart broke at the plaintive tiredness in her voice. "Come on," he held his hand out, "There's someone you need to meet."

She looked at him in confusion. "What? Who?"

"Just come with me," he insisted.

With a shrug, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He offered his arm to her and she took it without pause. She was sweating slightly from her previous exertion, but the scent of her was still earthy and gritty, something he welcomed. Lacing their fingers together, he led her out of the office.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"There's someone here to see you," he said.

She didn't say anything else, quietly walking with him, and he didn't know if it was because she trusted him or if she was just too tired. Hoping it was the former, he led her out into the gardens, where Jody was waiting for them.

"Hey Jodes," he greeted her.

"Sam," she said warmly, reaching out for a hug. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted Eileen's brows rise up in confusion, but he let her arm drop to step forward and hug the Sheriff.

"This is Eileen?" Jody asked as they separated. Before he could answer, she'd pushed past him and grabbed his wife in a hug of her own. Startled, Eileen's hands rose hesitant to wrap themselves around the elder woman's back, shooting him a confused look when he chuckled.

 _What?_ she mouthed.

Pulling back, Jody patted Eileen's cheek and then gestured for Sam to come forward.

 _Thank you,_ she said. _You saved my little girl's life._

Eileen's eyes widened and she shook her head _. I didn't do anything,_ she said. " _Castiel_ saved her."

"Because Zachariah was being a dick," said Jody. "As he usually is." Looking at Eileen's hesitant expression, she continued, "Benny told me the whole thing when he came to get me and Sam."

"Benny-?"

 _Big, burly man with a long black coat and beard?_ Jody said. Sparing Sam a look, she switched to speaking out loud, but her hands still signed. " _He and Cas came to get me and my wife. It was a good thing we both decided to stay back and teach Sam today, or..._ " She trailed off, her expression turning tight at thought of her daughter, and Eileen's face scrunched up with sympathy.

"Wait, teach Sam?" she caught on almost immediately. Whirling around, she pointed an accusatory finger at him, "You said you were meeting with the farmers!"

"I...uh, I just-" Sam looked away, shifting his weight guiltily from one foot to the other.

"Busted," Jody whistled. _Don't be mad at him,_ she told Eileen, _he's slow at picking it up, but he's learning how to sign._

Flushed as he was, Sam refused to look at his wife or what she was signing, instead turning to Jody. "She thinks that her magic is dirty," he said. "Because she's not from around here."

"Sam!" Eileen snapped.

Jody sighed, massaging her eyes. Without another word, she maneuvered all three of them into the seat behind the fountain, watching the stone angel on top with a faraway look in her eye. _I met my wife when I was looking for the man who killed my husband and son,_ she said. _I was angry and looking for vengeance, and I was so sure it was a Demoin who'd murdered him._

_And... was it?_

Sam swallowed hard at the way his wife's hands trembled as she formed the words. He remembered that Jody - driven and hard and so full of wrath that she'd stayed away from all of them. Bobby had tried - again and again - to reach out and help her, but it had taken Donna's easy, everyday charm to help Jody let go of the murderous rage that had begun to consume her.

 _I arrested practically every Demoin within the vicinity,_ Jody said. _Brought them all in for questioning._

"Dean had to step in," Sam offered quietly. "Assign someone else to uh... help."

 _You can say it, Sam,_ Jody's expression turned amused. _To keep an eye on me, because I was turning into a racist, prejudiced dick._

Sam flushed, "Well-"

"It's the truth," Jody shrugged. "But in the end, it wasn't any of them."

_Who... who was it?_

_My neighbor,_ Jody replied. _An Erian. He was jealous of my son's magic and when my husband refused to accept him as his Master, he cut them both down. And he didn't even use magic to do it._

"It was one of the most difficult sentences Dean had to pass," Sam said. "Because Raphael was one of Castiel's most powerful sorcerers and had been on the Council for such a long time. None of us noticed how disturbed he was."

 _If we had..._ Jody trailed off with a sigh.

Eileen reached over and squeezed her arm, offering what comfort she could. Sam's heart ached - they'd been so _stupid_ with Raphael and Sean and Owen had paid the price for it. He himself had been very young and didn't know Sean all that well, but Owen... Owen had been his friend.

"I'm sorry," Eileen said.

Jody smiled. "Thank you," she waved a hand. _I've lost one child already. When Benny and Cas came to tell me..._ the Sheriff's hands fell to her lap, clenching and unclenching, "...Alex and Donna are all I have left. You tried to save my girl, Milady."

 _But I didn't!_ Eileen's movements were more agitated than he'd ever seen it.  _I couldn't; your daughter would've died if not for Cas._

"You sent Claire to get Castiel," Jody countered. "And if Zachariah hadn't stopped you, you would've saved her. So... thank you." She took Eileen's shaking hands and offered them a maternal squeeze. Before his wife could protest, Jody stood.

 _It's true that not all of us trust you, Milady,_ she said. "But not all of us hate you either."

Leaning in, she dropped a quick kiss on Sam's forehead, and then reached across to palm Eileen's cheek, including her in the familiar, affectionate camaraderie they shared. From the way her eyes filled, Eileen was not untouched - Sam watched as she sniffled quietly, shakily saying her own farewells to the elder woman.

"Come and meet Donna sometime soon," Jody said. "And Sam, I'll see you tomorrow at my place for your next lesson."

With another kind smile, Jody turned and left, heading back to the Healing Centre, where her wife and daughter were holed up.

Silence fell between them for the second time today and Sam didn't know how to break it. Eileen's expression was pensive as she stared into the bubbling water before them. He leaned back against the bench, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wood. It had been a long day, from the farmers' meet to the lessons to racing to the Healing Centre to make sure Alex was doing okay.

"You're really learning how to sign?" Eileen finally said. "For me?"

Sam cracked one eye open. She was watching him, eyes narrowed to two intensely brown slits, and he swallowed, straightening back up before nodding.

"Yes," he said.

"...why?"

Sam's breath caught in his throat. He could lie, he supposed, but something told him that that was a bad idea. _Because you are my wife,_ he signed. His hands were shaky - he wasn't entirely certain he got the words right - but his eyes met hers unflinchingly as he repeated the same thing out loud, "You're my wife, Eileen."

She leaned in. "Why does that make a difference?" she murmured. Her breath ghosted across the skin of his neck and he gulped, willing his heart to stop racing. God, they were so close, it wouldn't take more than a dip of his head to...

"Because I care," he whispered, cupping her cheeks and forcing her to look at him.

Eileen was the one who closed that gap between them. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him fiercely. Her lips were rough and uneven from where she'd bitten them and Sam didn't hesitate, yanking her against him. He licked across the seam of her mouth - she tasted like coffee - and nibbled on her lip, running one hand up and down her back. The rumble of her soft moan felt so fucking good, and he pulled back, brushing their lips together once, twice, thrice, before resting his forehead against hers.

"Eileen," he breathed, "What..."

"I care too," she muttered. "I care too, Sam."

She didn't say anything else, but then, she didn't need to. A soft smile curved the corner of his lips and Sam stood, offering her his hand. This time, she didn't hesitate, tucking herself into his side easily.

They made their way back to the castle, sneaking small glances at one another, and Sam's chest tightened with the knowledge that he wasn't alone in this. This time, his wife was right there with him.

It was an exhilarating feeling.

*-*-*

Dean massaged his aching temples as the pounding behind his eyes grew worse. Across him, Cas was glaring at Zachariah and his passe of sorcerers, and the distant, horny part of his mind that hadn't fucked his husband for over three weeks now noted just how sexy he was when he was angry.

"I don't understand why you would call a Council Meet for as small a reason as this, Castiel!" Zachariah snapped. "Alexandra remains safe and unharmed, despite the foreign princess's attempts to-"

" _-cure_ her?" Cas growled. "Alex was nearly dead when I took her to Garth. Because you wouldn't let Eileen help her."

"I was trying to keep her safe!"

"By preventing the only healing she could have received?"

"Castiel," Inias's voice was soft but firm. "You cannot deny that the people are scared. To see Her Ladyship's use magic in public, when most Erians believe that Demoin don't even have magic... you cannot expect them to simply take you at your word."

Silence fell across the room. Cas's lips pursed together in defiance and he met Dean's eyes across the room; Inias wasn't wrong, no matter how much they both hated that fact.

"I don't," Cas finally said. "I understand that Eileen must prove herself worthy of our people's trust. Only I ask - if you will not even give her the chance to prove herself, how is she to do so?"

"And," Dean continued, "No matter what happened with Eileen," he leveled Zachariah with a stern look, "What stopped _you_ from trying to heal Alex?"

Zachariah flushed. "I just- I was-" he stammered.

"Felt it was more important to take the foreign princess to task?" Dean sneered, "You claim concern for the people, Zach, but I don't see you doin' a thing to protect them."

"You can't be serious-!" Lenore protested, "Milord Zachariah was-"

"No," Dean jumped up, suddenly at the end of his patience, "This's gone on long enough. Alex was _dying_ on the floor and everyone of _you_ ," he met each of the Council's eyes with a hard, unflinching stare, "Stood by and let her. It's taken Garth the past two days to stabilize her state. And you," he glared at Zachariah, "Cas and I've been trying to shut Edgar down for years, but you keep protecting him. Something in his shop bit the sheriff's daughter - what if she'd died?" He paused, "Like Cas said... we get that Eileen is new. But you can't persecute her for trying to help, when she was the only one takin' any kind of responsibility then!"

"And what about the missing scrolls?" Hester snapped.

Dean stepped back, startled. Pulling at the pendant around his neck, he shared a look with Cas, reaching out to his husband mentally. _How the hell did they know about that?_ he asked. _Not even Sam and Jo know!_

 _I don't know, Dean,_ Cas answered, sounding troubled. "Scrolls?" he asked out loud. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Hester."

"Don't play the fool with us, Castiel," Zachariah grinned triumphantly. "The ancient scrolls of spellwork that have long been some of Eria's greatest treasures - those scrolls."

"What of them?" Dean said tersely.

"We know you allowed the Princess Consort access to them and we know they're missing. It isn't hard to do the math."

"Careful there," Dean growled, "Are you accusing the heir's wife of thievery? Without proof?"

"I'm not accusing anyone of anything," Zachariah snorted, "Only pointing out facts. You and Castiel asked for a foreign princess - who is from a land we have been at war with for years - to help you build a Sorcerer's Guild. And you gave her unfettered access to the library, where some of our most precious knowledge was stored," he turned around and faced each Council Member with an innocent look, and _damn_ but the fucker was good, "Now," he paused for effect, "the scrolls are missing. The facts speak for themselves."

"I don't-" Cas began, but Dean interrupted him.

"Fine then," he snarled. "If this is what the Council wishes, then Lady Eileen will prove herself in front of all of you. Give her a fair trial, with a truth potion - then we'll see what happens."

_Dean!_

_What?_

_This is... unwise._

Dean hid his surprise until each of the Council voted aye in favor of his proposal. When they were finally alone, he turned back to Cas and pulled him close.

"What's goin' on?" he murmured, " _You_ don't think..."

"I don't _know_ , Dean," Cas said, running a frustrated hand through inky dark hair. _I believe Eileen cares for us and I have grown fond of her, but we cannot be foolish. She is Alistair's daughter._

 _Sam's in love with her, Cas,_ Dean said flatly. _I know my brother, I've seen that look on his face._

"I know," Cas whispered.

"And that's the other thing," Dean frowned, "How the hell did they know about the missing scrolls?"

"Charlie-"

Dean shot him a flat look and Castiel sighed, rolling his eyes. "I know," he muttered, "She's not going to be so remiss in her investigation that she would’ve leaked that information even unknowingly."

“It’s _Charlie_ , she ain’t stupid.” Dean rested his head against his husband’s clavicle for a long, quiet moment, breathing him in, reveling in the thudding of his heartbeat against his own. If nothing else, they had this at least. _I'm gonna go talk to Sam,_ he finally sighed, pressing a quick kiss to Cas's lips. _Fill him in. He ain't gonna be happy about any of this._

"Remind him," Cas murmured against his skin, "That if Eileen refuses to take the truth potion and swear in front of the Council, they will deem her guilty."

"I know," Dean said grimly, pulling back. "I know."

Pressing one last kiss to his cheek, Cas whirled around and strode away, leaving Dean to his own thoughts. The King sighed, pushing himself to his feet to head towards his brother’s chambers, only to find Sam pacing around his room in agitation, holding a long parchment in his hand.

“Sam?”

“Dean!” Sam looked up, mouth pressed into an unhappy frown.

“You look like shit, what’s going on?”

“I just… I- uh-”

“Spit it out, Sam,” Dean said impatiently.

“Here.”

Sam thrust the parchment into his hands. “Here,” he snapped.

Dean scanned the letter, eyes widening at the contents and the huge-ass Demoin insignia staring back at him right from the top of the page. “Oh _fuck_ ,” he breathed. “Son of a -”

“She’s gone, Dean,” Sam sounded desolate. “After everything… I was so  _stupid_ -”

“Sam,” Dean interrupted, “It’s… it’s much worse than you think.”

His brother whirled around to glare at him. “What?” he growled.

Dean sighed heavily. “You better sit down for this,” he warned. “Because shit just went to hell.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Mildred? Mildred?!"

Eileen grunted in frustration as the elder woman's gaze slid past her in an empty manner, no hint of recognition on her face. It was terrifying, seeing the woman who'd raised her stare at her with that blank, empty expression. It was one of the main reasons she'd agreed so easily when Alistair brought his plan to her - if it would bring Mildred back from wherever his dark sorcerers had sent her, she'd do anything.

Across Mildred, Missouri's dark eyes were equally unseeing and Eileen felt the her own eyes burn at the sight.

"Please wake up," she whispered. She reached through the gaps in the bars of the dungeons to trail her fingertips over Missouri's hands, but still, the older woman didn't respond, standing quietly in the cell as she had been for the past three months.

 _Did they even eat?_ Eileen wondered. _Did Alistair free them of their mental prison for even that long?_

Three months she'd been gone, free and happy in Eria while her friends - her _family_ \- languished here, hung up like dolls for Alistair's amusement. The old guilt felt heavier than ever in her breast, and she swallowed.

Little Patience stood next to her grandmother, looking frail and thin. _She should be in class,_ Eileen thought bitterly, studying her magic and perfecting it, along with others like Claire and Alex. Instead, she was here, in some dark, danky dungeon, barely alive, a mockery of a young girl's doll.

 _No more,_ Eileen vowed. Stepping back, she cast a look around at the whole cell, taking in each face - Kaia, Balthazar, Gadreel and Ezekiel. So many of her people, jailed for their ability to do manipulate magic - jailed for being who they were. And so many more, spread out across Demoin like a patchwork of unwanted dandelion seeds that Alistair was going to weed out one by one.

But this group... they were the ones to begin the Resistance.

"I'll make an example," she remembered her uncle saying. "Of each and every one of them. Have them drawn and quartered and hung up like the animals they are."

And so she'd agreed - to be his brood more, to birth an Erian heir that he could claim, to do his bidding.

 _No more,_ she thought again. She wasn't going to stand by and let him use her any longer. Not when she had a home - not when she had people on her side.

Jody's kind smile flashed across her eyes and she breathed in deeply.

**_Not all of us hate you, Milady._ **

**_Because I care, Eileen. I care._ **

_Sam._

Her lips curled up of their own accord at the thought of her husband and she nodded, swallowing hard. Pulling out the scroll from her satchel, she unrolled it, skimming through the spell once more.

 _Please work,_ she begged. Transferring the scroll to her left hand, she held up her right, clenching her fist and calling up all the power she hand. Her fingers glowed the iridescent violet; she could feel the familiar surge of energy pound through her veins and opened her mouth to cast the spell -

\- only to have a familiar, snaky hand wrap around her wrist and yank her around. The scroll thudded to the ground as she came face-to-face with Dagon, who smirked.

"Not so fast," he said. "What do we have here?"

"Let me go!" she snapped. "I'm the princess, you can't treat me like this."

"Indeed, Milady." She didn't need to hear his voice to know he was jeering at her - his expression was enough for that. "As the princess, it is only your right to meet your father."

"No," she struggled, her blood running cold. "Let. Me. Go." She tried to yank him off of her, but his grip was strong, even as the guard behind him bent down to pick up the scroll she'd dropped.

"And what's this?" he smirked, his eyes simming through the spell. "My, my, my. The King will be most interested in learning this."

"I'm not- you can't-" Eileen babbled, her vision blurring. She'd failed, she'd failed -

"Come along, _Your Highness_."

 _I'm sorry,_ she thought, casting one last parting glance at the still figures behind her. _I'm sorry._

*-*-*

_“My dear Eileen,_

_Not a letter, not a message in three months! You have certainly forgotten your home, haven't you, dear daughter? That's quite alright, I suppose; every father worries that his little girl would miss her ancestral home when she moves into her husband's house. I am glad that you have forgotten us enough to settle in._

_But what a father understands, a mother certainly cannot. My poor Lilith misses you desperately. And even if you have forgotten your parents, I cannot belive you have forgotten your beloved nanny? Mildred sends her regards - as do the rest of your friends._

_I do hope Prince Sam and the rest of his family are treating you well. Being a Demoin princess amongst an Erian royal family cannot be easy, I know, but do your duty and make me proud. Remember where your loyalties lie, m'dear! You belong to both houses now. Do right by your home, daughter, and it - we - will reward you richly._

_Do send us good news soon! I eagerly await the day when you and your husband will fulfill the terms of the treaty and give me a hale and hearty grandson. He must be strong like his grandfather, intelligent and ruthless on the battlefield. And I shall pray that he isn't cursed like you are; much as it saddens me that my own daughter carries the defect of the magic gene, we must believe that it was what God intended. I can only hope that any grandson you bear will be devoid of both the curse of your magic as well as your inability to hear._

_I receive news that you have begun work on the Sorcerer's Guild? I must admit, daughter, that I was quite disturbed to hear that. These powers are not to be trusted; I do hope you are working towards curtailing them and not using them regularly. But I trust in my rearing of you - my little girl will not do anything to jeopardize her father's good name. Which is why, Eileen, I am very proud of you. You are teaching Erians about the curse of magic, are you not? If you must be cursed with the power of the Devil, then make good use of it for your people - all of them._

_Take care, daughter. Do not forget your duty. I shall await your news eagerly because I am ever more,_

_Your Loving Father,_

_Alistair Mallum Demoin.”_

Jo looked up, her voice fading away. Across her, Charlie's expression was unusually tight as the redhead snorted in disgust and walked over to where Sam was, throwing her arms around him.

"That fucking asshole," she swore. "That was the most patronizing, sexist, dickish-"

"Charles," Sam interrupted.

"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling back. Frowning, she reached over to take the scroll from where Jo had dropped it and skimmed through it again. "Is it just me or does a lot of this sound like a thinly veiled threat?"

"It ain't just you," Dean announced, walking into the room, making his way towards Sam's couch, grabbing the scroll from Charlie. "Do your duty, daughter? Do right by us and we'll reward you richly?" He grunted, an irritated, tired sound that made the back of Jo's neck prickle. "He's either threatenin' her or they're workin' together to some end."

"Not sure which is worse," Jo muttered under her breath.

"She took three of our most precious scrolls and vanished," Sam said. "After this letter turned up. Clearly, this was no threat - she's in it with him." He stood up, throwing off Charlie's arms, shoulders stiff. Jo had seen that numb, blank expression on his face exactly twice - the first time when Mary had announced her separation from John, and the second, when Jessica had dumped him.

"Sam...?"

"Where's Cas?" he demanded.

Dean frowned. "Rachel called him, said he had to see something."

"And the Council?"

"...is adjourned for now," Charlie answered.

"Even with the scrolls missing?" Sam glared at her. "Eileen's out there, with some of the most powerful magic we have. We have to go after her."

"Sam, we don't even know that she did take them!" Jo found herself protesting. "All we have is suspicion. And she's been missing for barely two days. Don't jump to-"

"Red, who was the last person to check the scrolls out?" Sam asked tersely.

Charlie hesitated, hazel eyes darting between her wife and the prince. "Eileen," she answered reluctantly.

"And has Rufus made any logging errors in the past three decades he's been working and protecting our libraries for us?"

"No, but-"

"The Demoin princess gets a letter from her father - a man who raised her - to remember to do her duty," Sam quoted with a sneer, "She vanishes. And conveniently, three of the scrolls containing our most precious magic also disappear. Who am I supposed to believe, the woman who may or may not have married me with an agenda, or the librarian who's been loyal to Eria and my family for decades together and has never once made a logging error?"

"That's just it, Sam," Jo retorted, "We don't _know_ if your wife stole that information. And isn't magic outlawed in Demoin? Why would she steal something she can't use there? If that's where she went in the first place!"

"Why are you defending her, Jo?" Sam snapped. "I thought you were against her, more than any of us!" he gestured around the room to point at the other two.

Jo paused. "I dunno," she sighed. "Maybe she's growin' on me." She looked up at him and Sam must have seen the sympathy on her face because he turned away, refusing to meet her eyes. "Sam, I'm not saying she didn't do it, just that all the evidence we have is circumstantial. She's your _wife_ \- the least you could do is give her the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm the Prince," Sam said harshly. "I can't afford to. Dean," he whirled around, "Man, at least you tell me - Eileen isn't... she can't..." he fumbled, trailing off, and Jo's heart broke at the way he raised his hand to rub at his eyes. She wanted to wrap him up in her arms, but she knew he'd push her away, so she simply clenched her fists and grit her teeth in irritation.

Fortunately, her wife had no such qualms. Where Jo could be as reticent as the damned repressed morons themselves, Charlie wasn't - and Jo had found herself thanking whatever deity was out there for the fact as she watched the Prime Minister throw herself at Sam.

The younger Winchester looked startled, eyes darting between the tiny redhead in his arms and the blonde across him.

"Shut up and take the hug, asshole," Charlie's muffled voice broke the tension.

Sam chuckled weakly and wrapped his arms around her, burying her face into her hair. His shoulders were shaking, Jo noted, and she knew, even from here, that Charlie's hair would be wet with his tears.

"Dean," she muttered, "Dean, we gotta- Eileen-"

"I know, Jo," the King murmured, sharing a tired look with her. "I know."

Silence fell between them, none of them quite sure of what was happening any longer. They'd trusted Eileen and she'd betrayed them, but they didn't know for sure, and how the hell had it come to this?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam's voice was small as he pulled away finally. "Dean, Charlie, why didn't you tell us the scrolls were missing when you found out?"

"Because no one needed to know, Sam," Dean sighed. "How was I gonna tell the Council that we couldn't even keep our own libraries safe?"

"Yeah, but I'm not the Council, man," Sam said. "I'm your brother - your _heir_. You couldn't even trust me with this?"

"You maybe the Boy King, Sam, but that don't mean I gotta share every State Secret with you," Dean's voice turned impatient.

Jo's eyes met Charlie's warily across the room. They'd made peace with this part of their marriage; Jo knew that despite her own high station with Erian bureaucracy, Charlie was second-in-command after Dean. There were somethings she couldn't share, for the safety of their nation, and no matter how much it rankled, she'd accepted that she would be reporting to her wife on official matters.

The boys, however, were still the idiot teenagers they always were, about this.

"So you don't trust me?" Sam whispered.

"Aw, Sammy, that's not-" Dean fumbled. "I do, you know I do, but I gotta protect you, and everyone else, and I can't do my job if I have to report everything to you."

"Dean-"

"Sam," Dean interrupted firmly. "I'm your brother - I'll always be your brother. But I'm King too. I can't afford to fall back on trust alone. You know that."

"Doesn't mean I like it," Sam grumbled.

"And it's been just two days since  _I_ found out, Sam," Charlie pinched his side. "I barely began my investigation before Zachariah outed us to everyone." 

"The timing fits, Red." Sam looked tired. "Two days since Eileen went missing, you telling me she didn't take it?" He looked at Dean, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry, Dean, this is my fault. If I wasn't so  _blind-_ ouch!!!" 

Charlie pulled back, her expression lofty. "Not another word," she warned. "She fooled even me. You sayin' you're smarter than me, Winchester?"

Sam's smile was wan. "Thanks, Red."

Before Dean could reply, his husband strode into the room, that brown cloak of his bellowing behind him. Jo rolled her eyes at how dramatic her general could be. She opened her mouth to tease him about it, but he held up a hand, shushing her.

Raising his other hand, he pointed at the door and murmured a privacy spell under his breath. The door swung shut quietly, and she watched as a blue spark jumped out of the end of his index finger, moving into a translucent forcefield that surrounded the five of them. The forcefield flashed a bright blue once, twice, solidifying into a solid wall of blue, before it vanished. Jo couldn't see it anymore, but she knew it had settled into place, a bubble in which they could talk without worry of being overheard by anyone else.

"Babe?" Dean asked, confused.

"We have a problem," Cas announced.

"Ya think?" Charlie snorted. "Way to understate-"

"No," Cas interrupted. His expression was far grimer than Jo had ever seen it. "We have a serious problem. Alistair just declared war on us."

_"What?!"_

*-*-*

"So... you're not pregnant."

Eileen met her father's gaze defiantly, holding her head up high. "I am not," she answered, her voice echoing within the cavernous throne room.

"I sent you to Eria so that you could produce an heir for that kingdom," Alistair said. "And you return without fulfilling your duty?"

"You sent me there to be a brood mare," Eileen countered. "So that you could use your grandchild to take over that throne."

"Have you forgotten that the bargain we made?!" he thundered. "If you will not uphold your end, your friends will die."

"Mildred never wanted me to whore myself out for her sake, _Father_ ," Eileen retorted. "And I couldn't harm innocent-"

"You sneak in here, into my home, where magic is banned, with _this_?!" Alistair held up the scroll. "You try to free prisoners from my holdings with your vile, dirty powers. And you dare to defy me?"

"I’m not dancing to your tune anymore. I won’t hurt Sam or the Erians, not even to protect my own kin."

Her uncle paused. For a moment, silence reigned, and then Alistair's face curved into the most cruel of smiles. It frightened her.

"Very well then," he said. "If you're not with me, dear daughter," his grin was the baring of a ferocious animal’s teeth, "Then you are against me. I sent you to Eria to become a wife - I see now that you have truly turned into one."

"What-?"

"And as an _Erian_ princess, you have snuck into Demoin land, directly defied the King, and tried to orchestrate a prison break. That's grounds for execution, my dear."

Eileen's heart pounded in fear, but she refused to look away, meeting her uncle's cold expression defiantly.

"But because you are also my beloved daughter," Alistair sneered. "I sentence you to the same fate as that of your dirty friends - an eternity in my dungeon, locked within the confines of your mind. And because you now stand for Eria, I shall see this as a threat of war issued to us," he announced. "Sending in their princess, with no official message, having her release prisoners I have deemed unworthy of life - Eria has all but declared war on us."

"You can't do this!" Eileen yelled. "Sam and Dean and Cas don't know anything about this - I didn't -"

"You're the Erian Princess Consort," Alistair said. "You denounced Demoin but a few moment ago, my dear. That means you are Erian."

"I denounced _you_ ," Eileen snapped, blinking away the burning wetness in her eyes, "Not Demoin."

"To denounce the King is to denounce the land. You are no longer Demoin, and as an Erian who has snuck into my castle, you _and_ your land will face retribution. Take her away!" he waved his hands at the guards behind them.

"Father, please, don't do this - Mildred and the others, that was on me, don't bring Sam and Eria into this-"

"I have no daughter," Alistair said coldly. "Least of all one who has been cursed with magic."

Before she could respond, he had turned away, and the guards were pulling her back, despite the begging and the pleading. They dragged her to her old room, in a far corner of the castle, and locked her inside, leaving her to wait for her sentence to be carried.

Eileen banged the door, yelling for someone to come, but no one came. With an angry growl, she stalked back to her old bed, falling into it. She had to get out, had to warn Sam, had to get Mildred and her family to safety -

The bed was scratchy and lumpy against her back. And the smell of Sam's masculine cologne - something she'd gotten so used to in three months - was replaced by the cloying stench of rosy perfume that Eileen knew belonged to Lilith.

She didn't stop the tears when they burned her eyes this time.

*-*-*

"Does the Council know?"

Cas paused at Sam's question and shook his head. "Not yet," he answered, "Alistair hasn't done anything more than send a missive of war. I don't see the point of bringing in the Council until things become serious."

"Cas, he's declared _war_ on us," Charlie frowned. "Again. Doesn't get more serious than that."

"I'm aware," Cas looked troubled. "But our position with the Council is already weak. We cannot afford to appear any worse. They're going to find out, of course, but I'd like to at least have a course of action before we let them know."

"Hold your horses," Dean interrupted. "Rewind a bit, sweetheart. What the hell's goin' on here?"

Cas sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose, moving over to sit by Dean's side. Sam watched, quietly jealous, as the sorcerer took his brother's hand and twined their fingers together.

Fuck, but he and Eileen had been doing that just last week. How had it all gone so very wrong? Blinking away the burning in his eyes, he forced himself to pay attention to his brother-in-law.

"Alistair sent a missive," Cas was saying. "In which he's declared war against because the terms of the treaty has been violated."

"Terms of... what?"

Cas's blue eyes sought out Sam's. The younger Winchester looked away, unable to face the pity in them.

"Eileen is back in Demoin, Sam," the general said. "According to the treaty, she isn't supposed to return home until her first pregnancy."

"I told you she wasn't innocent," Sam said. He was right, but for once, he wished he wasn't. His own wife... she'd all but destroyed his home.

How could he have been so utterly stupid and naïve? He'd gone and fallen in love with her, thought she returned his feelings too, and now, she...

Swallowing hard, he continued, "She's known that the treaty been null for ages, and she went back anyway."

"Wait, what?" Dean snapped. "What do you mean the treaty's been null? She went back, un-pregnant now, not before..." he trailed off, eyes narrowing at his brother. "Sam, tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?" Sam avoided the elder Winchester's questioning gaze, the hot flush spreading down his neck. The memory of their kiss flashed behind his eyes and he gritted his teeth, internally yelling at himself.

"Didn't not have sex!"

"That doesn't even make sense," Sam muttered sulkily.

"Don't play coy with me, Sam!" Dean's voice rose in volume. "You know what the treaty we signed said. I asked you before we signed it - you agreed to it!"

"Excuse me if I didn't want my sex life publicized, Dean!" Sam snapped back. "Eileen and I agreed to keep it private; we weren't ready for it and no one else was making that decision for us!"

"Except that she _did_ make that decision, Sam! She's gone back to her home as a virgin! The treaty is null and void - Alistair's well within his rights to declare war on us."

"I know," Sam said. "I was so stupid to trust her, but I just-"

"Was a fucking romantic idealist?" Dean spat. "Like you always are? Like you were with Jess?"

Sam's eyes burned; his brother wasn't wrong, but the truth hurt worse than anything he'd ever thought about himself. He was a romantic idealist; he'd believed - with both Jess and Eileen - that they were falling in love together.

He was wrong.

"That's enough," Jo interrupted. "Dean, you're being a fucking dick right now. Sam, what's happened has happened. We need to think about what's next."

"Hang on," Charlie said. "If Eileen went back to facilitate her father's war on us... why the hell would she take our magic scrolls?"

"To use our own magic against us?" Sam shrugged.

"I dunno," Charlie frowned. "Something feels off. Alistair's made it clear in this," she waved the letter up, "That he only wants her to be a baby machine. He hates her magic; why would he want her to steal more of 'the powers of the Devil'?"

"Dictators often use the very thing they want to eradicate," said Cas. "I doubt Alistair's army would be as powerful as it is without magic."

"Still. Something smells fishy to me," Charlie insisted.

"So what do we do now?" Jo repeated, moving over to wrap her arm around her wife's waist.

"There's something else," Cas hesitated. His expression turned uncomfortable, and his eyes darted to Sam, who resigned himself to more bad news.

"What is it, Cas?" he asked, bracing himself.

"One reason Alistair's given for the war is the nullification of the treaty," said Cas. "But... he's also claiming that we're the ones who instigated it. By sending our Princess Consort unannounced, to break prisoners free in his dungeons."

"What?!"

"She what?"

"The hell?"

Sam ignored the startled cries of the other three, pulling back from Charlie and Jo's grasp to stumble on to his bed. The scent of Eileen - something earthy, like the crisp smell of fallen leaves - assaulted his nostrils, and he let out a strangled laugh.

_I do miss counting constellations with Mildred._

Eileen's voice echoed in his head, and if he closed his eyes, he could just picture her across his room, on the balcony, staring up at the sky again. She hadn't said anything else, but he remember the painfully numb look on her face from that conversation. Even then, he supposed, he knew that whoever she left behind wasn't safe. He'd just chosen to ignore it - because she'd come here, to be with him, to choose Eria as her home, not Demoin.

Gods, he was so fucking stupid.

_Mildred sends her regards._

Sam's eyes flew open, and he grabbed the letter from Charlie, who yelped at the unexpected movement. Ignoring the others, he scanned the writing again, picking up on the quiet threats he couldn't believe he'd missed before.

His chest tightened. Gods, could she... was she...

No, he told himself. He couldn't jump to conclusions. Even if she had gone home to just free her family from her dad's tyranny... she had still betrayed all of them. She'd stolen precious Erian magic.

She had lied to him.

He couldn't trust her.

"Sam," Jo began, "Sam, what're you-"

"Charlie's right," he cut her off. "Something smells off. There's something else going on here that we're not seeing."

"So _now_ you trust your wife?" Jo sniped.

Sam shook his head. "I don't," he said shortly. "But you were right. I can't jump to conclusions. Think about it - Red, you said yourself that magic is outlawed in Demoin. And yet, the princess has magic. She broke in to free prisoners. Who would Alistair imprison?"

"People with magic," Charlie breathed. "Sam-"

"We can't be concerned with the internal politics of Demoin, Sam," Dean said tersely. "What they do is none of our business."

"Eileen's made it our business, Dean," Sam countered. "We need the full story."

"And how do we get it?" Cas said. "We can't exactly go marching in there and demand it of them."

"No," Sam agreed. "But we can stall Alistair until we find Eileen. She's the only one who knows everything."

"Don't we already know?" Charlie pointed out. "Alistair just told us she snuck into his prison."

"Which is why I'm gonna sneak into Demoin," Sam announced. "I need to find her, get the truth."

"Are you fucking outta your mind, Sam?" Dean growled. "You want to sneak into Demoin when Alistair's declaring war on us for that exact reason?"

Sam leveled his brother with a steady, unflinching gaze. "Dean," he said. "I'm your heir. Do you trust me?"

"Sam, that's not-"

"Do you trust me?" he repeated.

Dean stopped, staring at him for the space of a long, tense moment. Then, he melted, sighing, and reached up to massage his eyes. "Yeah," he muttered. "You know I do. No one else I trust more than you - all of you." He gazed around the room, pulling Cas close and squeezing his hand.

"Then here's what we're gonna do."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Demoin was a lot emptier - and colder - than Dean expected it to be. He scowled, pulling his cloak closer to himself as he looked around. He found himself missing the constant hustle and bustle of his castle; despite the fact that Eria was a much smaller kingdom than Demoin itself, there was more life there.

"Damned demons," he muttered, glaring at the back of the pudgy-faced official that was leading them through the winding hallways. They'd already been here three days, waiting for an audience with Alistair to reopen negotiations. Much as Dean hated it, he needed to play the role of King; Sam had indicated that shit was goin' down today, when they would meet Alistair. He didn't know what was going to happen, though, and the uncertainty had him itching beneath the collar of the borrowed wool.

"Easy," Cas murmured from next to him, leaning over to twine their fingers together.

Astaroth turned back to glare at them, shushing them with a motion of his hand.

Cas rolled his eyes and pulled his hand back, moving it instead to the pendant he wore. Clutching it, he met Dean's eyes. _Your impatience is going to begin another war._

Dean snorted mentally. _Babe, we're already in the middle of a war. You're the one who received the missive._

 _Not yet,_ Cas sighed. _We're not at war_ **_yet_** _. But we could..._ he trailed off, looking away.

 _Yeah,_ Dean echoed, swallowing hard. For a moment, the looming threat seemed bigger than ever before - winter was coming, their treasury was depleted, and their people were tired. They couldn't afford another war; it was why this treaty had been set up in the first place.

 _Sam had better get his shit together soon,_ Dean said finally, turning back to cast a quick look at his younger brother Sam's hazel eyes met his and he simply offered one, quick, quiet nod. _Or_ _we're fucked._

 _Dean,_ Cas's voice was grave. _We haven't discussed what we're going to do if all this fails._

_It's not going to._

_You don't know that -_

_Cas, it's not gonna fail._

Castiel turned to glare at his husband. _You're being unreasonable_ , he growled. _You're the King - if Sam fails, you have to think of some way to protect your people._

"Boys," Charlie slid forward and inserted herself between them, grabbing their arms with her own. "Might wanna keep the silent conversations to a minimum. We're in a place where magic isn't the most apropos."

Her eyes darted across the hallways - there were, indeed, a few Demoine men and women throwing weird glances at them. Cas's hand was glowing a very mild blue, just barely visible, but it was enough to draw those angry stares. He drew it back quickly, burying his hands into the pocket of his tunic, but Dean could still feel the tickle at the back of his mind.

He'd never be able to admit just how much he loved his husband for it. It was definitely useful as hell during official negotiations, but more than that, the sense of connection and not being alone never failed to set his heart racing.

"Ah, King Dean! And my dear son-in-law, welcome!"

Alistair's booming voice distracted Dean from his internal monologuing. He looked up to see the (insert demond name) scurrying off to the corner as they walked into the throne room.

"King Alistair," he greeted flatly. "A pleasure."

"I only wish we were meeting under different circumstances," Alistair continued. He was seated on his throne, a step higher than everyone in the room - a rookie move to prove his power if there ever was one.

Luckily, Dean knew how to play this game. "We would be," he said, "If _you_ hadn't chosen to declare war against us."

Challenge delivered. He could almost hear the way Alistair teeth ground together. His internal smile grew as Cas and Charlie sidled up to him, flanking him from either side - he wasn't alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sam step forward as well; they were in this together.

And somewhere in this castle, Jo was trying to find his sister-in-law right now, and Dean knew... she wasn't like her father. _That didn't mean she was on their side, though,_ he reminded himself, refusing to back away from Alistair's glare.

"It was your Princess Consort had not snuck into my castle uninvited and tried to set my prisoners free," the Demoin King growled.

"Princess Eileen was acting of her own accord," Dean countered. "The Erian Council did not sanction any of her actions - what reason would I have to play with the internal politics of your house? And," he added, "You seem to be forgetting that Eileen is as much Demoin as she is Erian. I believe she's _your_ daughter?"

"No daughter of mine would go against her father's wishes," Alistair snapped. "What say you of the broken treaty, Milord? Is that Demoin's fault too? You," he turned to Sam, "did not bed my daughter - Eileen should never have returned if she was not with child! You began this war. You nullified the treaty. I am simply taking it to its natural conclusion."

"What my _wife_ and I do," Sam stressed, "within the privacy of our bedchamber, has little to do with how the government functions, Milord."

"That was before you became the heir, Prince Sam. Royalty has not the luxury of privacy. You signed a treaty that you did not adhere to."

"The treaty, Alistair," said Dean, "Has been null and void since before the damned ink on the scrolls dried. Or did you think I was stupid enough to not know the truth?"

The ensuing silence was so loud, it almost grated on Dean's ears. _Come on, Sam,_ he thought, _how much longer?_

Cas shifted uneasily from next to him. _I can't hold the spell forever,_ he said. He tried to strain his eyes, get a glimpse of anything that would indicate what the hell was goin' on outside, but he couldn't hear a thing - Cas's magic was too strong.

"What truth are you referring to?" Alistair said finally. "I'm not-"

"Don't play coy," Dean interrupted, his voice sharp. "You proclaimed that Eileen was your child. As it turns out, King Alistair, she is not."

_Dean. I hear them!_

_Think you can hold out for a few more minutes? Till they get here?_

_The muting spell isn't easy over this big an area,_ Cas's mental fatigue made Dean want to wince himself, _but I'll do what I can._

"I raised her as my own for over a decade, she's my daughter-"

"But not your blood," Sam countered. "Red?"

"She of my direct line shall birth the future heir of Eria," Charlie quoted, pulling out the Erian copy of the treaty obligingly. "Signed, Alistair Mallum Demoin."

"But she's not of your direct line, is she?" Dean said. "She's your _niece_ , which means that any child she bears is your blood only thrice removed. You said, Alistair," he threw his arms out, "that I was getting a Demoin princess, with royal Demoin blood. Instead, you sent me a sorceress who has only a weak connection to your throne - if that ain't nullifyin' the treaty, I dunno what else will."

"And," Cas added, "If this treaty is null and void, you have imprisoned an Erian princess without cause. Which means that we have the right to issue a missive of war as-"

"Enough!" Alistair suddenly roared. "I have heard enough! You come here, into my house, and threaten me? I will have you executed like the dirty dogs you are!"

"Not so fast, Uncle."

The soft, distorted voice had all of them whirling around. Eileen stood there, dirty and grimy, her back stiff with pride. Behind her, a short, pudgy man Dean vaguely recognized was holding up a sword, one hand glowing an angry red. Next to him, however, a familiar head of blonde hair stared haughtily back at Alistair's soldiers.

_Jo!_

_And the sorcerers?_

It wasn't until Cas said it that Dean noticed the number of men and women surrounding his brother and sister-in-law, all of whom had hands that were glowing. Their expressions were grim and angry, their clothes tattered. Dust, soot and hay covered them; it didn't take a genius to figure out that these were the prisoners Eileen had set out to free.

 _I know my duty as a King, love,_ Dean whispered, _and I'm willin' to do anything for our people... but it looks like I won't have to, after all._

Cas shot him a sideways smile.

_Indeed._

*-*-*

Eileen's first impression of the guard who came to take her to the dungeons was that he was extremely short for his station. The dragon snarled his usual angry sneer at her from the top of the guard's helmet, and she paused. She wanted to throw up a struggle on principle; her eyes were still swollen and red from all the crying she'd been doing and her stomach was churning with the knowledge that she'd led her home - both of them - into war with one another. Mildred's blank face flashed in front of her and she swallowed hard.

"Only you?" she sneered, "Alistair thinks I'll be subdued by a _single_ guard?"

Her heart was pounding. If there was only one guard... she could still free them. All she had to do was get away from him and find the scroll of magic.

The helmet on the guard's face was too low-lying for her to read his lips, but to her surprise, he began to sign.

_If you don't want to get into trouble, princess, come with me._

_I'm not going anywhere with you!_ she snapped. _My father can suck it._

_You will come with me._

Before she could protest any further, he grabbed her arm. She snarled, yanking it back, her spell dying on her lips as he held up his hand. It was glowing a bright red of its own, indicating magic, and she froze - she knew that hand. She knew that magic.

"Uncle Crowley?" she whispered.

_Shut up and come with me, girl, if you don't wanna bloody die._

Eileen's mouth opened and closed, unable to formulate a proper response. She shook her head in confusion, about to question him further, but before she could, he grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the room.

"Wh-what?!" she yelped.

He didn't answer - or maybe he did, she didn't know - but simply marched her in the direction of decidedly not the dungeon.

"Where are we going?"

Uncle Crowley was _dead_. Alistair had killed him for his magic. She hadn't loved him like nieces did their uncles, but she'd mourned him because the world had lost another sorcerer because of her adoptive father's prejudice.

"Who are you?!" Eileen finally yelled. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Shhhhh!"

He dropped her arm in frustration as she struggled. This time when he held up his glowing red hand, she didn't hesitate. Throwing herself off of him, she gathered her energy and summoned the fireball, watching it dance over her palms, its violet glow casting strange shadows on the wall behind her.

"My uncle died years ago," she said. "Tell me who you are and what Alistair wants!"

_It's me, you stupid girl._

The guard pulled his helmet off to reveal a familiar, pudgy face. The glint in his eyes was the same, irritated but amused as he stared her down for acting utterly stupid like she used to when she was a child.

"Cr-crowley?" she started. "It's you-"

_Idiot girl! You're gonna get us both killed!_

"What?"

 _Look around you!_ he gestured around him, and Eileen stumbled back, taking in for the first time what was going on.

They were standing on the east wing encampment, staring down at the castle's courtyard. Now that she was paying attention, she could feel the chaos below rumble through the walls - dozens of sorcerers, hands glowing and throwing spells, were marching into the castle, determined expressions on their faces. But that wasn't all. There were soldiers behind them. Even from here, Eileen could make out the Demoin crest on their shields.

The back of her neck prickled; the same soldiers who'd arrested these sorcerers, who'd been ordered to round them up, were now marching into the throne room with them.

What was happening?

 _What's going on?!_ Eileen snapped, whirling back to face Crowley. Her head was spinning - she'd failed, she'd messed up, and still... something enormous was happening.

 _Come with me,_ Crowley hissed through his teeth. "We need to go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Eileen said firmly. "Alistair killed Crowley. Those soldiers arrest magic-users, I can't trust-"

"Me, I know," Crowley interrupted. "But you do trust your moose of a husband, don't you?"

Eileen stepped back, reeling. "Sa-Sam?" she stuttered. "Sam's... here?"

Her heart sank. She'd left without a word; he probably hated her. It was a truth she'd been avoiding since the moment she'd set foot in Demoin. She'd told herself Sam would forgive her, would give her a second chance, because she'd needed to believe that lie, but now... Now, he was here.

 _Yes, and unless you want us both killed,_ Crowley grabbed her and pulled her out of the way of an incoming fireball, _we need to go!_

 _Wh-what?_ Eileen stumbled. It took a moment for her brain to catch up - not all the sorcerers were friendly, and they'd finally noticed the commotion on the encampment above them.

 _Right._ She straightened her shoulders and breathed in deeply, shrugging off Crowley's grip. _Okay, Uncle Crowley,_ she said. _Take me to my husband._

"Took you long enough, girl," he grumbled and grabbed her arm. She didn't resist this time, following him without hesitation as he ran out back into the safety of the stone hallways.

*-*-*

Jo fumbled with the keys, distracted by the sounds of the fighting outside. Even here, in this dank-ass dungeons, she could hear the clash of sword against shield and the loud screams of the sorcerers' victims as they cut their way through the halls and into the throne room where - hopefully - Sam and Dean were stalling the Demoin king.

"Dammit." She bit her lower lip as her eyes fell on the prisoners inside the cell. They stood like some kind of strange dolls, standing upright and tall - too stiff, eyes unseeing, their expressions so completely blank, Jo almost couldn't believe that they were living.

But the movement of their chests and stomach told her otherwise; they were alive, but caught in a web of magic that kept them trapped in their own minds.

This... this was what Eileen had snuck out to stop. These were the people she'd abandoned Eria for.

The mean, petty part of Jo wanted to leave them there. They were the reason her _family_ was in danger, why her people were seeing war, right at a time when they couldn't afford one.

But then, she swallowed, Eileen was family too. In a way. They weren't friends - not yet, and maybe not ever - but Eileen was Sam's _wife_. And no matter how much he protested that fact, Jo knew the idiot was head-over-ass for her.

So she breathed in deeply and yanked the cell doors open. Pulling out then scroll of magic Crowley had thrust into her hands, she grabbed the Crystallis in her boot for just such emergencies and held it up. It took her a moment, but she picked out the spell on the scroll quite easily.

"Awake!" she thundered, pointing the stone at the people in the cell. A thick streak of navy light shot through the cell, hitting each of the men and women individually, forming a huge circle, before it faded out.

The stone cluttered out of Jo's hands and she dropped to the floor, her knees and hands shaking. Using secondhand magic was never fun, no matter how many times she'd done it.

" _You_ have magic?!"

Jo jumped to her feet, quickly adopting a defensive stance -

\- only to see the woman who'd started all of this standing behind her, a startled look on her face.

"Eileen," she said stiffly.

"Hi Jo," Eileen murmured.

 _No I don't have magic,_ Jo retorted. _But we Erian soldiers have a few tricks up our sleeves._ She held up the Crystallis pointedly, her lips pursed, and Eileen looked away, unable to meet her piercing glare.

"I... I see," she said.

"I see you've released them," Crowley cut in, barging into the dimly lit room with little to no finesse.

Eileen's eyes flew to meet Jo's, widening in surprise. _Yo-you,_ she stuttered, _you released them?_

 _With the magic **you** stole,_ Jo sniped back. _Crowley brought the scrolls back to me, I used my emergency Crystallis to set 'em free._

"I," Eileen swallowed, "I did what I had to do, Jo. I-"

"Eileen?"

A broken, unfamiliar, female voice cut through their conversation. Eileen's voice faded away as she stepped past Jo, open tears rolling down her face.

"Mildred?" she whispered; Jo noticed that her hands were trembling as they reached out to the old woman.

_Eileen? Oh my love!_

Spry for her age, the old woman pushed herself to her feet and grabbed Eileen, pulling her in for a tight hug. And despite Jo's annoyance, she couldn't help softening; Eileen was full-on gross sobbing into the woman's dirty tunic, clutching at her desperately.

"You saved us, didn't ya girl?"

Jo, startled at being addressed, could only nod at the matronly black woman. She smiled and before Jo could say anything, she was being yanked into a hug of her own.

"Crowley you arse," she heard a male voice call out, and woah, okay, that must be the childhood friend Crowley had talked about before. "Guess you didn't turn tail and run after all."

"I should've left your ugly mug to rot in here, Baz," Crowley retorted. "But then who was gonna do my heavy lifting for me?"

"Grandma?"

Jo stumbled back as the black woman let her go to pull one of the others - a girl, just barely older than Claire, and dammit, there went Jo's heart again - into her arms. Jo sighed, stepping back, only to be drawn into the small crowd of all the sorcerers, each of them eager to touch and thank the woman who'd saved them. Her head swam from the many names and faces, but her chest was tight with emotion.

If this was why Eileen had snuck out, she thought, she could very well understand the princess's reasoning.

"Enough," she finally called. "We need to get out of here."

"Wait."

Eileen stepped forward. "Jo, tell me what's going on. Please."

Jo blinked. _It's a prison-break,_ she said. _What else would it be?_

_I stole magic from Eria and I snuck out without telling anyone. My father declared war on my account. And now you're organizing the prison break I failed at?_

Jo sighed. "Okay," she waved her hand. "Long story short, Dean and Cas are stalling Alistair under the pretext of negotiations while we break the sorcerers out of prison."

"Why would you do that?" Eileen looked confused. "Playing with the internal politics of Demoin could further mess up-"

"We didn't want to," Jo interrupted. "The initial plan was to stall with the negotiations while we found you. But then, this idiot," she punched Crowley in the arm, "Found us on our way to Demoin. Offered to make a deal with us - we help free the sorcerers, they help us dethrone Alistair. There's no war and we all go home free and safe."

"Which we're not gonna be if we don't get the fuck outta here right now," Crowley cut in. "So we need to go."

They ran outside the dungeons and into the chaos outside. The sorcerers - despite their time in the dungeons - didn't hesitate. Jo watched from the corner of her eyes as the old woman - _Mildred_ , she remembered - threw fireball after fireball, fierce in her spell-casting. She cut down a path for all of them, sharing warm looks with Eileen, and Jo was reminded of her own mom defending the castle when Eria had been attacked in her childhood. She was about to go join her when she caught sight of one of the men throwing a spell at a guard.

"No!" she caught his arm just in time.

He glared down at her. "Let me go, Erian," he growled - _Ezekiel_ , she recalled vaguely.

"No, the soldiers are on our side!" she snapped.

He blinked, frowning. "What?! They're Demoin Army, they answer directly to Alistair!"

"Not anymore," she said grimly. "You've been down in the dungeons for a long time. Turns out a lot of your people don't like your King."

An arrow swished past them, and Jo whirled on one foot, pulling Ezekiel with her. They crashed into the pillar next to them, Ezekiel's much bigger form cushioning the blow, and she grunted as she pulled away.

"That doesn't mean they're all on our side," she finished. "My general has a muting spell cast over the throne room so Alistair's attention isn't drawn to the fight outside, but we need to hurry and get there right the fuck now."

Before he could answer, she bounded away, grabbing Eileen's shoulder to get her attention. The princess swirled, about to curse her, when she held up her hand - sword dangling from her grip - to show her she was harmless.

"We need to go," she said. Dropping her sword to her side, she signed at the same time so Eileen wouldn't miss what she was saying. _We have to get to the throne room right now as soon as we can._

 _Okay._ Eileen nodded determinedly. She hesitated for the briefest moment, eyes lingering on the elder woman behind her. Mildred caught her gaze and smiled. _Go,_ she mouthed.

Jo watched as the princess took in a deep breath and steeled her shoulders, her expression becoming blank and impassive. Almost against herself, she found that she was impressed - Eileen wasn't a _bad_ person, she'd just made a mistake.

Jo, who'd fucked up more than she could count, all for the sake of her family, suddenly found that she could understand. Reaching out, she squeezed Eileen's shoulder, offering her a smile.

Eileen smiled back and nodded. Jo grabbed her sword and they shared one last look of commiseration before jumping back into the fray, cutting their way down to the throne room.

They had a kingdom to save.

*-*-*

"Not so fast, Uncle."

Eileen couldn't hear her own voice, but she knew that she sounded more confident than she felt. Her knees felt like jelly, barely able to hold her up, but she refused to let it show. She'd been watching her uncle for the last few moments, her heart heavy with emotion as Jo quietly translated what was happening for her - no matter how much it had all soured, a part of her mourned that her own uncle had turned into this.

"I'm still alive," she stepped forward, "And I refuse to let you hurt my family."

Dark, brown hair whipped across his face and Sam's eyes bored into her. Eileen met his gaze without flinching, her heart thundering in her chest. It was why she'd decided to leave it all behind when she came across the magic scrolls. She couldn't hurt the Erians - not Claire, not Jody and Alex who thought she was worth it, not Dean and Cas who'd been brushing up their sign language for her - but more than anything, she couldn't hurt _Sam_ , who'd accepted her as his family even before she had allowed herself to trust him.

"You," Alistair's snarl brought her back. She tensed, watching her uncle as he stalked forward. "You," he continued, "You tell them I am your father."

 _But you aren't,_ she countered, switching to sign language. It was more than just about her speech, it was about power. She'd just stolen more of it from her uncle and he knew it from the way he scowled. _You may have taken me in, but you're not my father._

" _You_ told him," Alistair realized. "You told your husband that."

Eileen nodded. _I did. I trusted my husband with the truth. And I trusted him not to declare war on Eria for that lie._ She swallowed. _Because he knew that family doesn't end in blood._

Her eyes lingered over the way Cas and Dean flanked Charlie from either side, and she could just imagine Bobby's grumpy smile as he signed those words to her. _Which was why,_ she glared back at the Demoin King, _I acted alone, Uncle. I left Eria - to protect them. I was acting alone in this, Eria is not to be blamed._

"It doesn't matter!" Alistair roared, "The war on Eria shall proceed, we shall destroy your tiny little-"

"Ya, you and what army, mate?"

Eileen watched as Crowley stepped forward, a smirk on his face. Behind him, Balthazar waved both arms, and the soldiers that had been providing cover for them moved out of the shadows. Several of them had a number of the castle guards tied up and held swords up in a threatening manner.

"Wha-Who- _Crowley_?" Alistair stumbled back.

"Indeed, brother," Crowley spat. "You once called me a rat. Well, this rat is a survivor."

"Then I'll gut you like the vermin you are!" Alistair cried, "I'll gut all of you-"

"Give it up, Alistair," Dean interrupted. Eileen watched as Cas deflated like a balloon, shaking as the spell he'd cast over the whole throne room dissipated. She could sense the magic pulse before it vanished, and heaved a sigh of relief as Charlie wrapped an arm around her brother-in-law to hold him up.

"I will destroy you, Dean!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dean rolled his eyes. "Look, Milord, your army dunn't like you. The few guards loyal to you have been captured. The underground resistance of sorcerers has you surrounded."

"In other words," Charlie proclaimed, "You're kinda screwed. So give it up."

"Never!" Alistair roared. "I will not submit to you savages - dirty-blooded mongrels with ungodly powers that allow women to talk back-"

Crowley stepped forward and threw a spell at him. Alistair side-stepped him with a growl, yanking his sword out of its scabbard and thrusting it forward. Eileen stepped back, watching as Crowley dodged him easily, throwing a barrage of spells at him. The soldiers around the room joined the fray, jumping forward to help the pudgy-faced official who'd been silently collecting them altogether. 

"Eileen!" 

She stumbled back as Balthazar pushed her behind him, blocking Dagon's sword with his magic barely a second before it hit. She shot him a look of gratitude before pulling her own sword out and jumping into the fray with a loud yell. 

She had no idea how long she fought; she knew only the angry stream of purple magic that vibrated beneath her skin as she threw spell after spell. Her sword was dripping with the blood of the few loyals who'd stormed into the throne room once the fighting began, and she refused to think about how many she'd killed. 

"That's it, mate!" 

Balthazar's horrified expression had her whirling around, just in time to see Alistair plunging his sword into Crowley's chest. 

"No," she screamed. 

As though on cue, Alistair began to laugh manically, his expression full of triumph - 

\- only to start choking halfway through, as another sword plunged into him from behind. He stared up, face morphing into one of terror as the Crowley in front of him vanished. 

"There's a reason," Eileen was too far away to hear read his lips, but Baz smirked from next to her, signing for her sake. "That I trained with a Trickster in magic. Goodbye, brother." 

Alistair fell to the ground, gurgling blood. A moment later, the battle came to an end, and Eileen was almost surprised to see just how little time had passed in between charging in here and now. 

"Well," said Balthazar, blinking. "That was anticlimactic."

Eileen looked around; the Erians were holding swords as bloody as hers and Castiel's hands were glowing a bright blue, indicating that he'd been using magic as well. "Speak for yourself," he muttered, staring up blearily. He stumbled, almost falling, and Charlie cursed, holding him up. "Some of us are exhausted."

"I got you, babe," Dean said. He nodded at Charlie, who stepped away, and turned to his husband, pulling him close.

Eileen watched as they kissed. Barely a few feet from her, Charlie ran to Jo, who lifted her up and then they were kissing as well, and the affection between the two couples was so obvious, it almost hurt to watch.

Across her, Sam had a similar expression on his face, his eyes lingering on his brother and brother-in-law. Hardly daring to breathe, Eileen walked to him, and gently swiped her hand over his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"Hello, Sam," she said quietly.

He turned, lips pursed, and looked down at her. For a long moment, he considered her - she didn't flinch, even if the only thing she could feel was the way the blood pounded through her head - and then shook his head with a sigh.

 _I have to go help,_ he signed. _Alistair's dead, but his men are still in the castle. And Dean's gonna need help negotiating with the new regime._

She couldn't even protest as he turned away and walked back to where Charlie and Jo were still locked in a tight embrace. Her eyes burned and she sniffled.

_Is that him? Your husband?_

Mildred's smile was warm as she pulled Eileen into her arms for a quick hug.

_Yes._

_He's hot._

Eileen barked out a bitter laugh. _He is. But that's not why I like him._

 _Love him,_ Mildred raised a knowing eyebrow. _You_ **_love_ ** _him._

Watching Sam pull Jo into his arms as Charlie let her go, Eileen couldn't deny it.

 _Yeah,_ she said. _Yeah, I do._

_And he loves you._

_Maybe he did,_ Eileen turned away, unable to watch him any longer _. But I don't think he does anymore._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Eileen trudged her way back into her room hours later. She was exhausted, running low on both magic and energy; it had taken the whole day for the chaos in the castle to settle into something resembling order. Alistair wasn't the only enemy they'd had. The head of the snake had been chopped off, but the body wasn't entirely dead - he had spies hidden everywhere, including, as it turned out, outside of Demoin.

"That's how Zachariah knew about the missing scrolls, Dean," Charlie's expression had been grim when she returned after raiding Alistair's office. "Alistair told him when Eileen turned up here with them."  

Dean had sputtered and gone red, turning to Eileen with a furious expression on his face. She'd braced herself for the condemnation, stomach tightening with guilt. Instead, she'd been faced with a tired apology, Dean's hands moving steadily as he signed the words even as he said them.

_I'm sorry. All of us owe you an apology._

_I stole magic from you,_ she'd signed, her throat too damn tight to speak. _I should be the one apologizing._

Castiel had smiled at her from his husband's side and reached out to pat her shoulder. _You did what you had to do to protect your family, he said. I don't think Dean or I - or any Erian - would fault you for that._

Before she could reply, both her brothers-in-law had turned away, jumping into help clean up the castle, as though Demoin hadn't wronged them all constantly.

There was a lot to be done still; with Alistair gone, they'd need to figure out who would take the throne next. And the people themselves had to be looked after. Magic was still something most of the general populace was frightened of - which was why it had been so easy for Alistair to outlaw it in the first place - and they had to figure out a way for both sorcerers and the mortals to co-exist in peace going forward. Dean wanted to re-negotiate the terms of the treaty with Eria and Jo had warned her that there were possibilities of uprising from those still loyal to Alistair outside the castle. In short, the political upheaval was not going to end anytime soon.

Which was why Eileen found herself wondering what _she_ was going to do next - Mildred and Missouri had already indicated that she'd be in line for the throne next, but Eileen had no intention of ruling. She'd been running around the whole day, offering help - both magical and otherwise - where she could. The prospect of taking the throne, however, was not something that excited her; she'd much rather continue her work with the Sorcerer's Guild, back in Eria.

Besides... there was someone else whom she did not want to leave behind - a tall, six-feet, shaggy-haired someone she was in love with.

Sam hadn't said anything to her the whole day. Dean, who'd taken charge with Crowley temporarily, had sent both of them to find all the sorcerers hidden in the area and get them to come out of hiding, while Charlie and Jo worked with Missouri and Balthazar to spread the news of Alistair's death and the castle coup. Even then, Sam had only spoken to her when he needed to, his words brusque and short. There was none of the warmth and the easy affection that had grown between them over the past few months. There wasn't even the guarded but hopeful expression she remembered from the night of their wedding; it was as though they'd become complete strangers, as though they had nothing between them beyond what duties they had been assigned.

In a mockery of events, Sam had become exactly the kind of husband she'd expected Alistair to pick out for her - dutiful and respectful, but distant, looking at her as little more than his princess-consort.

And she couldn't even blame him for it - she'd broken his trust.

Eileen sighed as she opened the door to her room, feeling the rumble of the creaky wood shudder its way up her arm. As though the thought of her husband had summoned him, Sam was right there in front of her. She started, jumping back in surprise as he whirled around, sword in hand.

"Who-" he snarled, before blinking and cutting hismelf off. Sliding his sword back into it scabbard, he stoood stiffly in the middle of her room, staring at her with an impassive expression on his face.

"Sam?"

Eileen.

"You're-"

 _Sorry,_ he cut her off. He paused for a second, "Mildred," he said, "Sent me up to get some sleep." _I didn't mean to intrude, but we're married so..._

 _Of course not,_ she reassured him. _You're welcome to stay here._

_I'm not staying._

Eileen's eyes flew to meet his stoic hazel gaze. Her throat went dry at the way his lips pursed together in displeasure. She'd seen that look many times over the past few months - when he'd been yelling at the upcoming Guild, when he'd been annoyed with the Council's prejudice, when he'd defended her to everyone, from the Council to his people to his own brother.

This was the first time she was seeing it aimed her, however.

_Sam, I-_

_This is temporary,_ he cut her off. _Right now, there's too much chaos in the castle to worry about sleeping arrangements. As soon as we figure out what's gonna happen next, I'll be out of your hair._

Her chest felt so tight, Eileen could hardly smile at the fact that he'd signed the whole thing without pause. Sam had learnt how to speak a whole new language for her, and all she'd done was lie to him.

"You're not in my hair, Sam," she murmured softly. "You're my husband."

"Only in name," he said sharply. "And even that maybe dissolved soon, with a new treaty."

She stepped back, her heart thundering. "You... you want this marriage annuled?" she asked.

 _It's what Eria and Demoin need,_ he said.

"Sam, I- I just-" she stammered. "I was just trying to protect my family."

 _And I get that,_ he nodded. _I'm not angry with you for stealing magic, Eileen. I just... I can't trust you anymore._

He turned away before she could reply and she could only watch him as he stepped past her to close the door. Before she could offer him the bed, he'd already dropped his sword and settled on the floor next to it, lying on top of a second comforter and some pillows she hadn't known she'd even had lying around her room.

Breathing lightly, Eileen took her place on her bed, rolling over so that her back was facing Sam.

She may have lost his trust, but she sure as hell wasn't letting him see her tears.

*-*-*

"Sam wants to what now?"

Castiel winced at his husband's yell, moving over to slam the door shut behind him. Alistair's study may have been in the corner of the castle where he would be unseen by the public eye as he conducted his nasty experiments, but there were prying eyes everywhere, especially in the wake of the Rebellion. He held up a hand as Dean glared at him, muttering under his breath and waiting until he felt the muting spell lock into place before he nodded at the King of Eria.

"Sam wants the marriage annulled," he repeated.

"He's fucking lost it," Dean retorted. "We're in the middle of reconstruction and weeding out Alistair's spies - I don't have time to deal with him acting like a hurt child!"

"Dean," Castiel said firmly. "He may be right."

"Cas, you can't mean that!" Dean snapped. "I get that Eileen's made a mistake, but she was doin' it to protect her family-"

"You've forgiven her then?"

Dean blinked. "Of course I have," he said. His eyes narrowed at Castiel in suspicion. "You...blame her for what she did?"

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Don't be absurd," he said. "Of course I don't. Alistair was the one who imprisoned Eileen's family, turned one of our own Council members against us and threatened war. I have nothing against Eileen."

"Then what...?"

"Dean," Castiel murmured, drawing close to his husband. "Alistair's gone. Demoin is in shambles. We need the next ruler to be someone we can work with - someone we both like and trust."

Castiel could see the exact moment it hit him; Dean's expression cleared, those lovely green eyes widening in realization. His husband wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist, waiting until his own arms encircled his neck and then pressed their lips together in a quick kiss.

"You think Eileen should be the next queen," he whispered, pulling back, resting his forehead against the sorcerer's.

"It makes sense," Castiel shrugged. "She's of royal blood, the people like her despite her magic and we know she's on our side."

"Don't think Crowley's gonna be happy about that," Dean grunted.

Castiel raised an eyebrow. "He wants the throne?"

"Hell yeah he does," Dean snorted. They fell silent for a long moment, just breathing each other in, and Castiel reveled at feeling of being wrapped together. No matter what happened, he thought, this at least was something he could fall back on; he and Dean would always, always have one another.

"Sam's serious about annulling this?" Dean whispered.

"I believe so," Castiel murmured. He held up a hand to halt Dean's mumbled protest, and then murmured the spell, fingers closing around the pendant on his chest, opening the mental connection between them.

 _Thanks,_ Dean's relief at not having to censor himself was palpable. Castiel tilted his head in acknowledgement, pressing a quick kiss to the king's cheek.

_He loves her. I've seen it, Cas._

_As have I,_ Castiel muttered. _But it's **his** choice._

_It's the wrong one._

_He's trying to do what's right for both Eria and Demoin,_ Castiel pointed out. _Having Eileen on the throne would be beneficial to all of us and you and I both know it._

Dean rolled his eyes. _He's bein' a butthurt kid right now and he's hiding behind the kingdom to get away with it. You and I know that too._

_Dean-_

_I'm not saying it's a bad idea, babe,_ Dean interrupted. _Eileen'd make a fantastic queen. But first, we don't even know if she wants to rule._ He fell silent at that, and Castiel sighed deeply, reaching up to kiss him. He stank of sweat and grime - neither of them had had time for bathing or ablutions of any kind - but beneath that, there was an inherently warm smell that was all Dean, and it never failed to put him at ease.

 _And second?_ he asked.

Dean was quiet for a second longer, burying his face in Castiel's shoulder. The sorcerer ran a hand through his matted hair, untangling a few of the knots there as gently as he could. A warm puff of air wafted across his skin as Dean exhaled slowly, finally looking up at him with a tired expression.

 _He's in love with her,_ he repeated. _And I'm pretty sure she's in love with him too._

 _We can talk to them,_ Castiel answered. _Try to convince them. But Dean, you're King. Sam's the heir, and Eileen is the princess... we have to choose what's best for the kingdoms._

 _I know._ Dean's voice was heavy, and for a moment, Castiel reflected that this would always be his biggest cross to bear, choosing between being King and what was best for his family. It was why they'd stayed separate for so many years. _I know._

 _Come on._ Castiel kissed his nose quickly, smiling at the way Dean scrunched it in response. _I'll take Sam, you take Eileen._

 _Divide and conquer it is,_ Dean grinned. _I'll see you back here tonight?_

_Indeed._

*-*-*

It ended up being more divide and less conquer, Dean thought in frustration, about three hours later, when he finally made it back to the room he'd been given. Cas had left the mental connection spell open; as long as they were within a ten-mile radius of one another, it wouldn't tax Cas's powers too much, so Dean had insisted on having the channel open.

Well, fat load of good that did.

"You're in love with her, Sam," he'd heard Cas say at the back of his mind. He could almost picture his younger brother's bitch-face as Sammy had snapped back at him.

"I'm doing what's best for all of us."

"By turning your back on your vows?" Cas voice had been sharp and Dean had winced; it would get Sam's hackles up, he knew.

"I took a vow to protect my people when I became Dean's heir. If that means anulling a fake marriage vow - that Eileen's _already_ broken - then I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Sam, she was trying to protect-"

"I don't trust her, Cas," Sam had finally yelled.

Cas had sighed and Dean knew then that trying to talk Sam into anything right now would be useless. Winchesters were nothing if not stubborn.

He hadn't expected Eileen to be just as stubborn, however.

 _I don't want the throne, Dean,_ she'd said. _I'm not interested in power._

Relief had flooded his bones at that; if Eileen didn't want the throne, she'd return to Eria with them. She and Sam could sort out their differences, with time and -

 _But,_ she'd continued, _I'd like to stay here and help my people._

He'd deflated, frowning as he reached over to pat her shoulder. _Eileen, he began, you and Sam-_

 _I don't want to talk about it._ Her expression was cool, hands firm in their conviction as she signed. _It would be best for all of us if I stayed here when you return to Eria._

 _So you just want to abandon all of us?_ he'd retorted. _I thought you'd accepted Eria as your home too._

 _I did,_ she'd nodded. _Which is why I'm not returning. I betrayed all of you, even if I was doing it to protect my people. The Council isn't going to forgive me. Besides,_ she'd waved off his protests, _Sam doesn't want me to come back with you anyway._

 _He's hurt,_ Dean had insisted. _He just needs time._

Eileen's smile had been sadder than he'd ever seen it; it reminded him too much of Cas's own bittersweet kiss when the sorcerer had been convinced they had no future.

 _He's made up his mind not to give me a chance, Dean,_ she murmured. _Time can't change that._

And before he could protest that statement, she'd turned around and left, walking back to where Mildred and Crowley were in conversation with a bunch of the castle guards. They paused, offering her a quick bow that she nodded graciously at, and Dean had been forced to admit what he'd been denying all alone - Eileen Leahy was just as stubborn and loyal as his brother, and it royally sucked.

"They're well suited to one another," Cas's snort pulled him back from his musings.

Dean looked up to see his husband already in bed, wrapped up in warm comforters. He looked as tired as Dean himself felt, and with a sigh, the king closed the doors behind him, dropping the scrolls he was carrying.

"Quit readin' my mind," he grumbled, untying his scabbard. He sighed as the weight of the sword fell from his hip and he placed it on the nightstand next to the bed as always, in case of emergencies.

"You asked to leave the connection open," Cas pointed out.

Dean rolled his eyes, enjoying the way his husband's eyes narrowed in on him, gaze darkening as he pulled his tunic over his head, throwing it on the floor without a care.

"They're goddamned stubborn idiots," he said in lieu of answer.

Cas hummed in response, moving over to make space for him as Dean threw his pants off as well. He slipped into the bed, naked as a baby bird, and groaned as the sorcerer moved to rub his shoulders with a firm, practiced hand.

"We cannot force them to stay married," Cas murmured into his ear, crowding him from behind.

Dean's breath hitched as Cas's hand moved from his shoulders and down to his torso, pausing to pinch a nipple firmly.

"But," he continued, "I may have an idea." He bit down on Dean's ear, blowing gently to soothe the sudden, sharp pain, and Dean arched into his touch as he grasped him in hand, stroking his cock into slow, almost painful hardness.

"You and I have to get back to Eria soon, but what if we left Sam here with Eileen to help Demoin's reconstruction?"

"You-you're tryin' to force them into spending time together," Dean gasped.

"It worked for you and me," Cas hummed. He nosed at Dean's neck and the king tilted to the side to allow him access to more skin. "If Bobby and Ellen hadn't forced us to train the army together, we might never have fallen in love."

Dean whimpered, both at the thought and the way Cas' thumb rubbed tiny circles over the head of his cock, rubbing his own precome all over his hand.

"Even Winchester stubbornness can be overcome," Cas rumbled, and that was it.

Dean rolled over, climbing on top of his husband, who smirked at him. The hardness poking at his thigh belied the utterly innocent expression on his face and he bent down, kissing Cas roughly, rutting against him like a horny teenager.

"New rule," he breathed. _No more talking about my brother when we're fucking._

 _But we aren't fucking,_ Cas said, tone smug. _Not yet._

 _That a challenge, babe?_ Dean smirked back.

"Just a-ah!" Cas moaned as Dean took both of them in hand, jerking them off together fast and hard.  _Just an observation,_ he finished with a pant.

 _You talk too much,_ Dean kissed him again.

"Shut me up then," Cas growled.

This, at least, Dean reflected, was one thing he could do.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_...Zachariah 'fessed up - we do have a few more Demoin spies within our ranks. Dean's got him under lockdown, but he's refusing to give up the names, even after Alistair's execution, so Cas and I are trying to figure out a way to weed out the bad apples. It's slow going though._

_Sam, Dean wants you to stay in Demoin a while longer. He ordered that you be there until the renegotiation opens with Crowley next week; his last missive indicated that you're almost done with the reconstruction and that he's ready to close down the temporary ceasefire? Dean's -_

Sam threw the scroll down with a scowl and glared up at Jo. "What does she mean, reconstruction is over?" he snapped.

Jo shrugged. "Don't look at me," she threw up her hands. "I'm only showing you what Charlie sent. And she's only telling you what Dean wants."

"But we're not even half done!" Sam insisted. "Crowley's barely taken the throne and we've reached out to only half the sorcerers to get them out of hiding!"

"Maybe ask him that?" she said pointedly.

Sam growled, skimming through the rest of the scroll. Dean wanted Eileen to retain her position as Erian Ambassador. Until negotiations were officially reopened again, she was still his wife - as someone who'd lived through both cultures, she was the perfect bridge between the two countries. Her advocacy of Crowley had been one of the major reasons why he'd gone uncontested so far, not to mention everyone in the castle - both the Erians Dean had sent over to help and the Demoin populace who'd grown up with her - deferred to her in most matters.

In the two weeks that Dean and Cas had been gone, Sam himself thrown himself into the reconstruction effort, helping Crowley and his people rebuild the shattered remains of their government. It had been a strange twist of fate, to be the foreign spouse, left to navigate Demoin on his own. This was Eileen's turf and it showed - many of the people eyed him with suspicion, but he resolutely ignored it, lending a hand where he could and winning people over with his signature Winchester charm. Or so Jo told him.

It was awkward between them. Every night, he'd return to Eileen's room, lie on the floor next to her bed and listen to the gentle sound of her breathing. He'd wake up before her and leave, avoiding any and all contact with her. He didn't know why he didn't leave; an uneasy truce had formed between them. They both avoided one another during the day, but neither of them left the room to find their own space at night. It was as though they were both waiting for something.

Probably the other shoe to drop, Sam thought darkly, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Crowley knew - as well as he did - that there was a lot more internal reconstruction to be done before they could even think about looking out at Demoin's relationship with neighboring countries. And if there was one thing Sam had learnt in the last few weeks, it was that the short, pudgy-faced sorcerer was anything but stupid.

Which meant only one thing - Eileen had sent the missive to Dean herself. Or she'd convinced Crowley to do it.

Either way, it didn't matter.

Sam's heart constricted at the thought. He looked away from Jo's sympathetic gaze and stood abruptly, handing the scroll back to her.

"You alright?" she asked softly.

"I..." he breathed in deeply, "I'll be back."

"Sam-"

"See you, Jo." It didn't take a genius to see that she'd figured it out as well; both of them were equally involved in the reconstruction process, though Crowley had relegated them to working the newly established Demoin Sorcerer's Guild.

"Lemme know if you need anything, okay?" she leaned up to kiss cheek, but where Dean or Charlie would have protested, she let him stalk out angrily into the sun.

Eileen didn't want him.

It was the only thing Sam could think of as he strode across the castle's courtyard. His throat was so tight that he could barely breathe; it hurt, that she'd reject him so easily, that she'd given up on them so easily. He'd _seen_ it - the look of affection on her face, the gentle warmth in her eyes and the smile her lips had curved into. He'd been so sure he wasn't alone in this, that she was falling for him even as he was falling for her.

And then she left. She broke his trust.

Now, she was pushing him away completely.

Why was he always, _always_ doomed to fuck up his love life?

 _ **I can't be with you, Sam.**_ He could almost hear Jess's voice again, the words echoing through his brain for the millionth time, just as heartbreaking as they were before. Only this time, _he_ was the one who'd chosen this - he chose to end this marriage, have it annulled.

Well, then.

If it was ending, he thought, inhaling deeply. Then best to end it once and for all.

With that conviction, Sam headed for the west wing of the castle, where the Guild had been given temporary residence. There were only about twenty sorcerers in all, including the ones they'd rescued from the dungeons, but Eileen had cordoned off that bit of the castle and designed it after Eria's own Guild's space, giving them all room to practice their magic freely. He himself hadn't been here since she started working and he'd never admit it, but a part of him was secretly proud of how much effort had gone into this place.

The setup was similar to that of the Erian training grounds. He could see many of the same tests that Cas used set up in the far corner, along with a bunch of new ones he had never seen before. For the Demoin, he guessed, since not all magic was the same. There were some sorcerers doing target practice with fireballs, but the halls were still empty. Sam's heart clenched at the pure awe he saw on their tired, haggard faces - how long had it been since they could freely use their powers in such an open manner?

A loud yell distracted him and Sam's brow furrowed as he followed the sound out to the back-wing. He stiffened at the sight that greeted him.

Eileen was surrounded by a group of seven men, all of them holding up some kind of weapon. Three of them held up glowing hands - _magic!!_ \- and two wore armor that had Alistair's personal crest painted on it. Eileen herself was snarling, one fist clenched around a purple fireball, even as she held up a sword he'd never seen before in the other hand.

Sam didn't remember yanking his own sword out or how he got to the middle of the circle. One moment, he'd frozen, staring at his wife being hunted, and the next, he was towering in front of her, pushing her behind him protectively, trying to keep her safe from the remaining ranks of Alistair's men.

Why hadn't he insisted that Eileen be given some kind of protection? he thought furiously. For fuck's sake, she was the reason Alistair had been publicly executed - of course her life was going to be in danger!

"You hurt her," he growled, pointing his sword at the sorcerer closest to him, "I will destroy you."

"Sam, stop!"

Eileen's hands grasped at the back of his tunic, but Sam ignored her, glaring at the men in front of him. They, strangely enough, weren't protesting; if anything, they stared back at him in confusion, as though they didn't know what was happening.

"Sam!"

"Yeow!" Sam yelped as Eileen's hand on his back turned hot - not enough to pain, but just enough that it shocked him into whirling around to glare at her. "Eileen, what're you doing?" he hissed, warily eyeing the men around them.

She rolled her eyes, dropping her sword to her side and crushing the fireball in her palm out of existence. He blinked; out of the corner of his eyes, he watched the rest of the men also drop their weapons and whatever spells they'd been casting.

"Wha-" he began, confused.

"Excuse us, gentlemen," she ignored him. "We will later. Please check in with Missouri or Balthazar and find out what your assignments for the day are. Dismissed."

"As you wish, Milady."

The men bowed, each of them walking away without any protest. Not one of them attempted to speak to Sam, who stared after them in confusion. Once they were gone, Eileen turned to him with an angry glare.

 _Are you mad?_ she snapped. _What the hell was that?_

 _What the hell was what?_ he snapped back. _Seven men were about to attack you, Eileen, I wasn't going to stand by and watch!_

"We're in a training arena. Did it ever occur to you that we could be training? You almost undermined my position with them!"

"One against seven?" he snarled. "With both sorcerers and soldiers?! Even Cas isn't that stupid, and he isn't fighting impaired!"

He winced the moment the words were out of his mouth; dammit, that wasn't-

Eileen stiffened. _Well, then,_ she said, an empty expression on her face. _You don't have to be stuck worrying about this impaired princess any longer._

"Eileen, that wasn't-" he began apologetically.

"I've spoken to Crowley," she cut him off. _We're reopening negotiations with Eria next week. Once the terms are set, we can get our marriage annulled._

"I heard," he glared at her. "You can't-"

_You will be free soon, Milord._

She turned away, her bony shoulders shaking - from anger or from tears, he didn't know. Suddenly, inexplicably, Sam was _angry_. He couldn't hear anything but the roaring in his ears, feel anything but the pounding of his blood and he grit his teeth, reaching out to yank her back.

Eileen stumbled, falling back and he caught her, holding her up as she snarled at him.

"Sam, what the fuck-?!"

"Stop," he hissed. "Just stop and listen." Glaring at her, he switched to signing. _You can't just... you can't decide what's in store for both of us like that. It's my decision too._

_You're the one who wanted an annulment!_

_And you're willing to just let it go? You don't even want to fight for this? For us?_

She glared at him. _Sam,_ she said. _I don't play games. Either you want this to work or you don't. You can't just come here and demand shit from me._

The fight sailed out of Sam and he deflated like a pricked balloon. Of course she was right. _He'd_ asked for this - then why did it feel like he was swallowing ash?

 _I broke your trust,_ she continued, _and I betrayed Eria. And I get that._ She paused, and then continued with a sigh, _I'm only trying to do what you want, Sam._

What if... he hesitated. A part of him - the one that had been kicked in the gut by Jess, the part that had been butt-hurt over Eileen's departure - was screaming, but he ignored that part. _What if I don't want this?_

_What?_

Eileen froze, her breath shortening. Her brown eyes were wide with confusion - _and,_ he thought, _hope? -_ and her hands fluttered nervously.

_Sam, don't... what do you **want?**_

_I don't know!_ he snapped in frustration. _I don't... I just don't want this._

Before he could overthink it, before he could convince himself out of it, he reached out and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers in a harsh kiss. She was stiff for a second, and Sam's heart thundered, wondering if he'd messed up. He was about to pull away, when she let out a soft groan. Long arms wrapped themselves around his neck and then she was kissing him back just as fiercely, pressing herself against him.

Their teeth bumped together. She tasted of the stale coffee she'd been running on instead of sleep. Her skin smelled of sweat and dirt from the training and her hair was matted where he ran his hand through it. And still, it was the best kiss he'd ever had. She bit down on his bottom lip, not in the least coy or shy, and fuck, his pants tightened at how that would translate into the bedroom.

As though she'd sensed the dirty direction his brain had gone, Eileen suddenly ripped away, leaving him stumbling and clutching at empty air.

 _No,_ she snarled. _You don't get to do this. You don't get to decide that you want me one day and then throw me out the next. You don't get to march in here while I'm training my subordinates and act like an entitled husband!_

 _You're the one who snuck out!_ he protested. _You stole magic from Eria._

 _Because I was trying to protect my family!_ she yelled. "Because I fell in love with you and I didn't want Alistair to use me to get to you, Sam!"

It was strange, Sam thought, how similar they were. Frozen and staring at one another, the tension in the air so thick, he could almsot taste it - she'd run out because she loved him. And he'd been hiding behind the anullment, because he loved her.

Love wasn't the issue, he realized. It was trust. All this time, he'd been angry about her betraying him; he'd stopped trusting her. But then, that she snuck out without letting him know the truth - he'd never managed to earn  _her_ trust at all, had he? 

Reaching out, he caught her shaking hands in his own palms and rubbed his thumb over her skin. Wide, disbelieving brown eyes flew to meet his and he smiled at her.

"I love you," he said, allowing himself to voice it for the first time, allowing himself to be vulnerable in the same way he'd been vulnerable on their wedding night. "God, Eileen, I love you."

"Yo-you-" she stammered.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "All this time I've been... I was hurt that you left, but that's no excuse to act like a dick. I'm sorry."

"Sam... I... what?"

He let go of her hands and palmed her face, resting their foreeads together. The confused, open-eyed look on her face was as heartbreaking as it was endearing and Sam wiped the single tear that had fallen away from her cheek.

"You're right," he said. "I can't go making unilateral decisions about our marriage. But I..." he sighed. "I was hurt. I just..." he fell silent, unable to say anything else.

Eileen didn't reply, staring at him for a long, tense moment. Then, with trembling hands, she reached up to palm his own face, absently thumbing through the stubble that had grown there in the past few weeks.

"You're serious?" she breathed. "You... you want this?"

 _You want me?_ Sam heard the unsaid plea, the quiet insecurity he'd seen her struggling with every time Charlie hugged her or Claire called her Aunty Eileen or Cas congratulated her on another spell well-performed. He knew that struggled; growing up with John and Mary Winchester meant that he'd spent his whole formative years rebelling against what they wanted him to be.

"More than anything," he said. "If you want me too."

She shuddered, pressing her lips to his in lieu of an answer. Sam groaned, hands sliding down to wrap around her waist. This kiss was softer, sweeter than the previous one; she still tasted of coffee and smelled of sweat, and he still wanted more.

He wanted it all.

"This won't work if you don't trust me," Eileen murmured, pulling back.

Sam leaned in to brush their lips together, once, twice, before nodding. "I know," he said. "It goes both ways."

She chuckled. "Okay, I deserved that." Pausing, she looked up, studying him carefully. He met her gaze without flinching, and she must have found whatever she was searching for, because she smiled and pulled her hands back.

 _I love you, Sam,_ she said.

It was his turn to smile. He caught her hands and pressed a quick kiss to her palms before releasing them.

_I love you too._


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus smutty epilogue!!! LOL, I haven't written hetero porn in about... four years? I'm SO out of practice, but enjoy! XD

**Epilogue**

Sam's skin looked bronze in the molten gold dimness of dawn's early light. Eileen paused, her annoyance at being woken by an early bout of nausea dissipating at the sight. He was frowning in his sleep, arms flexing at empty air, even instinctively looking for her. The comforter slid down, revealing strong muscles, and she licked her lips with a wicked grin. Quietly, she unlaced the back of her shift and slipped out of it, shivering as the chilly morning air hit her bare skin. Her nipples tightened, and she breathed in softly, feeling her pussy tingle as she settled herself on the bed, throwing her thighs either side of Sam's waist.

Gently, she bent down to press soft kisses to his face. Sam scrunched his nose at his sleep being interrupted, but a moment later, warm hazel eyes fluttered open to stare at her affectionately.

"Good morning," she breathed. She could feel the heat of his morning hardness poke at her through the comforter.

"It is, isn't it?" he smirked. His hand pressed to the back of her, pulling her down for a kiss, and she went oblingingly, grinding their hips together, feeling his chest rumble with his groan.

He rolled them over, throwing the comforter over to the side. Before he could say anything else, he'd pushed her legs apart and buried his mouth between them, licking and sucking at her clit like he was starved for it. Eileen's back arched, bringing them into further, glorious contact, and she could feel the hum of Sam's laugh travel up her spine as her breath shortened and her toes curled.

Her eyes met his over her belly, and he winked, pressing a long, short-nailed finger against her entrance. He didn't press it in, though, simply circling her with his thumb, even as he forked his tongue against her clit. She smirked back, rubbing her palms over her shoulders and bringing them down to caress her breasts. Sam's eyes darkened as she pinched a nipple, gasping - she knew he could feel her getting even wetter and hotter than she already was.

The finger plunged into her in retaliation, and Eileen's victorious grin turned into a gasp as Sam bit down on her clit the same instant he pulled his finger back out, giving her just that hint of roughness she enjoyed. Before she could protest, his tongue and finger had exchanged places, and he rubbed her clit with purpose. It wasn't long before she was coming into his mouth, back arched, mouth open in a silent scream, stars dancing behind her eyes.

But Sam wasn't done - she'd barely recovered from this orgasm when the hot and thick length of him was inside her, pushing in without pause or mercy. Tears pricked at her eyes from the over-sensitivity, and she almost closed her legs when he paused. A warm hand on her face had her eyes fluttering open and she looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

"You alright, love?" he said.

Eileen smiled, leaning up to kiss him. "I'm good," she whispered. "Now fuck me, Milord." She winked as she pulled back and Sam's grin was wicked.

"As Milady wishes," he replied, pulling out. He slammed back in a second later, and Eileen clneched around him, her grin turning cheeky as she felt the groan rumble across her own skin. He bent down to take a nipple into his mouth and Eileen's hand buried itself in his hair, holding his face to her breasts as he fucked in and out slow and deep.

"Sam," she breathed, _"Sam."_

He murmured something; she couldn't see him to read his lips - but she didn't care anyway, because he traced the words onto her skin, his movements steady and precise.

_I love you._

A hand crept down in between them to pinch her clit and that was it - that was all Eileen needed for the second orgasm to punch out of her. It took a long, heated moment before she realized that Sam was coming too, and she clenched around him, twining their fingers together as she stared up at him with naked affection.

He fell down on top of her with a thud and she laughed weakly, allowing him to bury his face into her shoulder. Running a hand through his sweat-matted hair, she rubbed his shoulders, almost surprised to find dark scratches her nails had left there.

"Ngghhh," she groaned as he finally pulled out and away, feeling the stickiness between her thighs. Sam chuckled, reaching to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

 _Why are we up this early?_ he asked, raising one dark eyebrow. _We aren't due at the Guild until midday._

Eileen paused, her hands instinctively fling to her stomach. Sam's eyes tracked the movement, and he looked up in confusion, and she shrugged, smirking.

 _Your kid woke me up,_ she said. _Morning sickness is not fun._

 _My...what?_ Sam shot up, eyeing her in confusion. Eileen grinned as he looked down at her with something a little terrified and a little hopeful in his expression.

"You-you're-" he stammered.

"Pregnant," she supplied helpfully. "You can finally tell the Erian Council to stop pestering you for an heir. And ask Crowley and Balthazar to stop cracking jokes about your male virility."

Sam stared at her, hazel eyes wide and uncomprehending, and Eileen snapped her fingers in front of him, trying to get his attention.

_Sam? Sam!_

He paused, eyes darting between her and her stomach. She made a face, opening her mouth to call his name out loud, when he lunged forward, pushing her back to the bed and pressing soft kisses to her face.

"You-" he kissed her nose, "are-" he breathed against her forehead, "Amazing," he kissed her fully then, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Eileen sighed and returned the kiss, pulling him closer, felt his smile against her mouth.

"Pregnant?" he said, pulling back. _We're really having a baby?_

 _Yes,_ she hummed. His hands fluttered close to her belly, and she smiled, taking them and placing them against her skin, rubbing her thumbs over the webbed skin between his fingers. "We're really having a baby."

"Wait," he pulled away. _Are you alright? Can you attend the ceremony today? If you woke up nauseous, maybe you should stay in-_

Eileen rolled her eyes. _Sam, if you turn into the overprotective, smothering husband, I will whack you,_ she said. _Besides, it's the first graduation ceremony of the first batch of sorcerers from the school. I can't miss that._

_But you're not-_

_Sam,_ she cut him off. _There's a reason it's called **morning** sickness. I'm fine._ She chuckled at his sulky expression, feeling her chest expand in a ridiculous manner at the sight. _Both Claire and Alex are officially joining the Guild's Junior Sorcerers today; you know they're going to be annoyed if I miss that._

It was Sam's turn to sigh and roll his eyes. _Fine,_ he huffed. _But the moment you feel off -_

 _I'll relegate myself to the castle like a dutiful wife,_ she smirked. _I'll be a good girl, promise._

That got her the chuckle she'd been going for. "Tell that to someone that doesn't know you like I do," he teased. Leaning over, he brushed his lips agianst her once more, soft and sweet. His hands moved back to her belly and rubbed circles on her hip.

 _I love you,_ he traced on her skin. _Thank you._

Throat tight, Eileen could only kiss him in response.

_I love you too._

**-end-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, let us know how we did folks!!


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